Ruben Amorim (foto: Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has criticised manager Ruben Amorim, claiming the Portuguese coach “doesn’t understand the club” and has abandoned United’s traditional attacking style.
Paul Scholes has delivered a scathing assessment of Ruben Amorim, accusing the Manchester United boss of losing touch with the club’s attacking DNA. The former midfielder, part of the club’s golden era under Sir Alex Ferguson, believes Amorim’s tactical approach is completely at odds with United’s identity.
Speaking after another frustrating performance, Scholes said: “I don’t think Ruben Amorim understands this club. In my opinion, he’s not the right man for Manchester United. United teams are known for taking risks, for attacking play… for the fans to be on the edge of their seats and ready to go head-on. Wingers who dribble, shoot, perform technical feats — I don’t see any of that.”
Scholes, who has long been vocal about the club’s decline since Ferguson’s retirement, first criticised Amorim earlier this season for his treatment of academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo. The young midfielder, highly rated within the club, has seen limited playing time under the Portuguese coach — a decision that continues to frustrate supporters who value United’s tradition of nurturing homegrown talent.
United’s summer signings, including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, were intended to add pace and creativity to Amorim’s system, but Scholes remains unimpressed. “It’s hard to play technical, attacking football when you don’t have technically gifted players,” one pundit noted — yet Scholes insists the issue runs deeper than personnel.
The 11-time Premier League winner also questioned the direction of the club’s new leadership structure, taking aim at executives Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox. “The club has changed. They’re probably great at their jobs, but they’re not ‘United’. They have no idea,” Scholes said.
Despite high expectations after Amorim’s appointment, United’s form has been inconsistent, with fans divided over the coach’s pragmatic tactics and lack of attacking flair. For traditionalists like Scholes, the team’s current identity feels a world away from the swashbuckling, risk-taking football that once defined Old Trafford.