Scholes: Manchester United Should Forget About Title Race, Back Four Has Not Changed for Years

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes made his stance clear before the Manchester derby: his former club have no chance of winning the title this season.

Manchester United will face Manchester City in the derby this weekend, but Scholes is not optimistic about the Red Devils' prospects. In his view, the Premier League title race belongs only to Arsenal and Manchester City, while teams such as United and Chelsea cannot get involved.

“Forget about challenging for the title, there’s no chance.”

Ahead of the match, Scholes gave a very direct assessment of Manchester United’s title credentials.

“They’ll finish in the top four, but don’t expect a title challenge, there’s no chance,” Scholes said.

His reasoning focused on the defense: “Obviously, their defending is not good enough. They will concede goals.”

Regarding recruitment, Scholes said Manchester United have been strengthening one position at a time: “Last year they strengthened the forward line, which was very good. This year they strengthened the midfield, but we don’t know yet if it will work.”

He mentioned two new midfielders: “There are a few players who could be good, Santos and Baleba. We don’t know how good they can be. If those two can build an understanding, maybe they can help the team defensively.”

But what truly makes him doubtful is the back line: “The back four has not been changed, it hasn’t been changed for years, and it hasn’t been good enough for years. So how can you expect it to get better? I don’t know.”

Scholes even offered a timeline: “I expect next summer, hopefully Michael (Carrick) is still there, the team can have a decent season, and I think they will have a new back line next season.”

He ended with stronger words: “This is almost admitting that we are not going to challenge for the league title this year. That’s not Manchester United.”

Arsenal and Manchester City are the main characters

In Scholes’ eyes, this season’s Premier League title race is a two-horse battle between Arsenal and Manchester City.

Arsenal won the title last season and made a perfect start this season, winning their first five matches, including a 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Manchester City responded well after that, but Manchester United under Carrick have struggled, suffering an unexpected defeat to Hull City before drawing 2-2 with Everton.

Against this backdrop, Scholes does not believe the Manchester derby is a true six-pointer in the title race.

13 years without a title, and the gap has not closed

Manchester United’s last league title came in 2013, in the final season before Ferguson retired.

Although the team performed well last season and finished third, Scholes believes they are no closer to the title now than at any point during the past 13 years.

Fans will naturally hope to see a good game in this weekend’s Manchester derby. However, from Scholes’ comments, it is clear that he does not view it as a clash between two genuine title-contending teams.