He wrote on Twitter: “Paul Scholes wouldn't recognize a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill. Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten.”
On Tuesday, a storm brewed among Manchester United fans and pundits after Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola mocked Red Devils legend Paul Scholes for criticising his client.
He wrote on Twitter: “Paul Scholes wouldn't recognize a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill. Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten.”
He added: "Paul Scholes should become sports director and advise Woodward to sell Pogba. Would be sleepless nights to find Pogba a new club."
Scholes had said Pogba wasn’t consistent and hadn’t offered enough to Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial. Scholes had said: “As a midfield player for Manchester United, your job is to get the ball to your best players who can hurt the opposition.”
This led former Manchester United captain Gary Neville to ask Pogba to shut his agent up. He wrote on Twitter: “Let’s hope @paulpogba leads his agent and shuts him up!”
Meanwhile, former assistant coach Mike Phelan wrote: “There was a time when a players ability, consistency, attitude, record and application generated transfer activity.”
In midfield, the trio of Fred, Pogba and Pereira looked like lost schoolchildren. Brighton’s midfielders, who are compensated far less handsomely than their United counterparts, ran circles around them.
While Fred and Pereira’s lapses can be put down to beginner’s jitters, there’s no excuse for Pogba who’s in his third season. Handed the armband, Pogba proceeded to prove that just because he was mature in the World Cup doesn’t mean he will continue to be so for Man Utd.
He mis-passed 15 times (most on the team), was dispossessed six times and committed six fouls. It was a far cry from the player who stamped his authority on the World Cup and more reminiscent of the player Graeme Souness can’t stop complaining about.
Rumour has it that his agent Mino Raiola is trying to sell Pogba to Barcelona but even Bengaluru FC would think twice before signing him based on yesterday’s performance.
After a close-season of discontent, Manchester United's dismal performance in their 3-2 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday only intensified the chorus of criticism.
But with the transfer window closed, manager Jose Mourinho has no alternative to trying to draw on his experience and skill to get the best he can out of a team many believe lack the quality and character to be genuine title contenders.
The big question is does Mourinho still have what it takes to turn around a side outfought by a team who finished 15th last season?
Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness, now a pundit on Sky Sports television, believes Mourinho has a very tough task.
"He is in a very difficult place, isn't he? We think he fell out with the Chelsea players and that ultimately cost him his job," Souness said.
"As a manager, you have to push them and push them to the point where you are almost falling out with them but you cannot cross that line otherwise you end up falling out with two or three of the top men and they can get you out of the door."
Souness was scathing in his evaluation of the squad at Old Trafford.
"Prior to Fergie (former manager Alex Ferguson) going to United, this is the most average group of players I’ve ever seen at the club. They’ve got absolutely nothing about them. They’ve got no presence or anything and there just doesn’t seem to be any leaders out their pointing fingers."
While Souness's association with Liverpool may lead some to question his objectivity over their arch-rivals, his latter point is one former United great Paul Scholes agrees with.
"There's a lack of leaders in the team," Scholes told Australia's Optus Sport.
"We thought Paul Pogba might be the ideal candidate to be that leader but he wasn't there today. He had another really poor game. He's so inconsistent," he said.
Mourinho had made public his disappointment at the club's failure to bring in an additional central defender and the poor performance of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof supported his position.
But as critics of Mourinho have been quick to point out -- both those central defenders were signed by the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager.
Pogba is another Mourinho signing along with Alexis Sanchez, who missed Sunday's game but has yet to really show his best since signing from Arsenal in January.
United face a tough test next when they host Tottehham Hotspur on Monday but the good news for Mourinho is that the fixture list has been kind to his team.
After Spurs, United face Burnley, Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United in September.
Mourinho will also be looking forward to the likes of Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Ander Herrera, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling getting back to full fitness and involvement.
While Manchester City's 6-1 win over Huddersfield Town on Sunday highlighted the gap between the two Manchester clubs, former United skipper Gary Neville believes there is enough quality at Old Trafford for Mourinho's side to be among the top four.
"It will get better and United will get stronger with players back. I do think United will finish in the top four," he said.
"But that’s not always been the benchmark with the club who usually aspire to win titles," he said.
Indeed, United fans expect much more but after Sunday's defeat, many would be relieved if they can meet their minimum target this season.
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