Scholes doubts Haaland could thrive in League Two if City are demoted

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes warned that Erling Haaland would find it hard to score in League Two should Manchester City be relegated after the Premier League handed the club a guilty verdict on 114 financial breaches on Friday.

Verdict and possible sanctions

The Premier League handed Manchester City a guilty verdict on Friday, finding 114 breaches of its financial rules after a three‑year investigation.

The story was reported by Aaron Morris, senior sports reporter, at 11:44 on 29 Sep 2026.

The article, published with View 2 Images, carried the byline “Comments Sport”.

The infractions are alleged to have occurred over a nine‑year span from 2009 to 2018, and observers have floated fines and transfer embargoes, though points deductions, stripping of titles or even relegation have also been mentioned.

Scholes joins the debate

The latest episode of Good, the Bad and the Football brought Paul Scholes into the discussion alongside Paddy McGuinness, Nicky Butt and Mark Ogden.

The conversation imagined Man City dropping to League Two and examined how Haaland might adapt.

McGuinness opened with a tongue‑in‑cheek question.

He asked, “Let’s say City get relegated to League Two… how many goals a season does Haaland score?”

Haaland threatened by Manchester City case: Premier League in doubt

Butt was quick to answer, “None, cause he won’t be there.”

Scholes replied that nobody could know for sure, but added that it would be “very difficult, it’s a different game.”

Scholes suggested Haaland might net a few goals at home but would struggle on away grounds.

He added that the striker would probably miss many matches through injury and that the quality of pitches would affect his output, with October and the March‑to‑May period being more forgiving than the November‑to‑February stretch.

City have indicated they will appeal the verdict before an independent panel, maintaining their innocence since the charges were first laid in 2023.

The appeal process means any final punishment could be delayed further.

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak published an open letter on Saturday thanking supporters for standing by the club amid the turmoil.

Fans demand points deduction and asterisk after Manchester City verdict

He affirmed that Manchester City will continue to fight its corner.

CEO Ferran Soriano travelled to Copenhagen earlier this week for a meeting with Premier League officials.

In that session he told the panel, “It has taken eight years to reach this point and it will still take much more time.”

The Premier League has not issued a public comment, citing privacy and confidentiality regulations.

Fans will have to wait for the league’s final decision on the appropriate sanction.