Scholes says United are a million miles from Premier glory

In the cramped studio of The Good, The Bat & The Football podcast, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes launched an attack on the club’s owners, insisting the Red Devils are “a million miles away” from Premier League glory after a dismal start of one win from five games and an early Carabao Cup exit at Brighton.

Scholes' blunt assessment

“It feels quite sad to say this but Man Utd are a club now that are not trying to win the league with recruitment,” Scholes told The Good, The Bat & The Football podcast. He added that the recent signings “might be physically better” but do not move the club “a million miles” towards the title.

United’s summer overhaul saw the arrival of Carlos Baleba for £70 million, Andrey Santos for £48 million and Youri Tielemans for £35 million. The trio was billed as a midfield rebuild, yet Scholes said the purchases have left him “cold”.

Santos, who featured in eleven games for Chelsea, was bought by the Blues for £50 million before United paid £48 million for him. Baleba may add a “bit of difference”, Scholes conceded, but he questioned why United are “buying players just for the sake of it”.

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Scholes also reflected on Michael’s contribution last season, calling it “very, very good”. He believes Michael must be “really disappointed” with the summer activity and that the “most important time” now is to set a foundation for the rest of the campaign.

Ownership and recruitment controversy

Former teammate Nicky Butt blamed the club’s hierarchy, saying “the people upstairs … are pointing the people into place to pick the managers, the players, the coaches”. He recalled CEO Omar Berrada’s claim that United will win the league by 2028, calling it “never in a million years”.

Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim were both dismissed under the co‑ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS consortium, a fact Butt linked to the “massive big problem” of off‑pitch management.

Scholes warned against constantly changing managers, insisting recruitment “will have an awful lot to answer for”. He questioned whether United are chasing “third, fourth, fifth‑best signings” such as Morgan Rogers or Elliot Anderson, and suggested the club would be better off “keeping the money” and trusting the academy to produce talent.