Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that the Red Devils’ problems began with the 6-1 thrashing which Tottenham Hotspur handed out to them at Old Trafford last month.
Spurs ran riot in that game and made a real statement to the rest of the league by putting six past Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, who were not helped by Anthony Martial’s sending off around the half-hour mark.
Reports have since indicated that there was chaos in the United dressing room both at half-time and full-time during the game (The Athletic).
It looked like they had turned a corner after the international break as they strung a few decent results together including victories in the Champions League over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.
However, back to back loses to Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir has piled the pressure on Solskjaer, with reports now indicating that United officials have contacted former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettiono with a view to replacing the Norwegian at the helm (MEN).
If United do part ways with Solskjaer and appoint Pochettino, Scholes believes that the thrashing handed out by Jose Mourinho’s men will be to blame.
He noted that the Red Devils had become too cautious after the Spurs clash fearing that their defence could be exposed, which has, in turn, led to a lack of creativity.
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Scholes told BT Sport (as relayed by The Daily Star): “I think it’s been very confusing since the start of the season, very inconsistent.
“I think the problem goes back to the Tottenham team. That frightened the team, conceding those six goals.
“Then they brought the two midfield players in who their job really was to protect the back two centre-backs in. And it worked.
“It’s more like counter-attacking football, playing like the away team at home. And it worked for them.
“But you’re struggling now to get the balance to attack. The two midfield players have become too defensive and they’re struggling to get the players on the ball.
“The two that have been playing have really struggled to get the ball into the best players.
“The likes of Fernandes, Pogba, Martial, Rashford. They’ve really struggled to contribute going forward.”
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