Paul Scholes has bizarrely ripped into INEOS for adding depth to Michael Carrick’s midfield for the season ahead.
The Manchester United icon reacted to his former club’s transfer business this week, voicing his perplexity over certain deals.
What did Scholes have to say?
Speaking on the latest instalment of The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, Scholes said: “They’ve spent £90 million on two midfield players and another £60-£70m on another player. He (Kobbie Mainoo) is better than all three of them.
“Have we not learnt this lesson from the first half of last season when he didn’t play and they were terrible? I still don’t think he was amazing when he came into the team, but he’s better than what we’ve got!”
"Man United just spent £90m on two midfield players, another £60/70m on another player… Kobbie Mainoo is better than all three of them!"
Scholes doesn't understand why Mainoo doesn't start for Manchester United! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MD7ANIoEuh
— The Good, The Bad & The Football (@goodbadftblpod) August 25, 2026
It’s certainly an interesting stance to take, given midfield additions were absolutely crucial in the aftermath of Casemiro’s departure last season, as well as the fact that Manuel Ugarte will miss the bulk of 2026/2027 with an injury sustained at the World Cup.
That’s without even factoring in the fact that United have Champions League action back on the schedule this term, meaning reinforcements were vital if they had any chance of coming out on top against some of Europe’s most elite clubs.
Why INEOS’ signings will benefit Mainoo long-term
Signing more counterparts for Mainoo will only aid his situation as he continues to develop.
After all, he’s still only 21, and Scholes is seemingly expecting that he will be starting every single fixture across all competitions for the next nine months, which would be detrimental to his fitness.
Kobbie Mainoo brilliance 😮💨@ManUtd pic.twitter.com/ptQC8R864f
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 30, 2026
United have added experience in the form of 29-year-old Youri Tielemans, while also bringing in Premier League-proven youngsters Andrey Santos (22) and Carlos Baleba (22), whose transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion has yet to be formally announced.
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