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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has criticised the club for prioritising Europa League fixtures over Premier League matches, placing the blame on Ruben Amorim for influencing the act.
United are currently languishing in 15th place in the table, having suffered 16 defeats all term. The Red Devils have yet to hit 40 points and are on track for their worst-ever Premier League campaign.
Despite this, there is still a chance that United can win a major piece of silverware, in the form of the Europa League.
Amorim’s men booked their spot in the final, where they will face Tottenham Hotspur, after beating Athletic Club 7-1 on aggregate in the semis.
United remain the only unbeaten side in Europe, a stark contrast to their inconsistent fortunes in the Premier League.
In his latest column for TNT Sports, Scholes criticised what he sees as United’s decision to place greater importance on the Europa League than on their Premier League campaign.
The former England international wrote, “Manchester United should be able to play in two or three competitions at once without sacrificing something, and they’ve clearly sacrificed the league. I don’t like it and I don’t agree with it and I believe there has to be some sort of standards required in a Premier League team.”
“It’s almost as if they go into Premier League games and there’s an acceptance that they’re not going to win the game, which is madness. I think the acceptance has come from everyone.”
“I think it’s come from the manager even though he won’t admit it. He’s not playing teams to win games of football in the league. I think even fans are thinking let’s get these league games out of the way because the league has been a disaster.”
“They’re probably thinking: ‘Play whoever you want, we don’t care’. There’s an acceptance to it which I think is wrong because the Premier League is your bread and butter. But if you’re going to get Champions League football by winning the Europa League, it’ll all be forgotten, I hope.”
“There is that bad taste in your mouth that the Premier League form is so bad, and they might regret it next year. I think the manager should be using this time to learn how to win games when you’re not playing that well, because it’s going to happen again next year.”
“I don’t think you can just switch a button next season and, all of a sudden, you’re going to see them play brilliantly in the league. I think it’s quite risky sacrificing the Premier League for the sake of Champions League football next year.”
Scholes explained that despite the fact Tottenham have had the best of United in recent games, his former side have an advantage heading into the final – experience in finals and big games.
The 50-year-old also emphasised that United have “little bursts where they play well,” and this could propel them to victory in Bilbao.
There has been speculation over the future of club captain Bruno Fernandes, who is attracting strong interest from the Saudi Pro League.
It’s been suggested that Al-Hilal could bid a British world-record fee to secure the Portuguese playmaker’s services but Scholes is of the opinion that United should keep him.
“Bruno Fernandes has to stay because he’s the best player. He’s involved in nearly everything that Manchester United do well. Sometimes there’s not a lot you can do when there’s such a big demand from the Saudi league, who would pay ridiculous money.”
“It’s quite clear that they need to keep him and build a team around him. It’s just whether they get the option to do that with having money to buy new players and adding space in the squad to bring new players in.”
“With the deals that the club have done in the last few years, it’s going to be very difficult for Amorim to get rid of people. If you get into the Champions League, it’s going to be quite easy to bring people in, but at the same time, you’ve got to get people out and that’s going to be the hardest part of his job.”
United are back in action on Sunday when they host West Ham. Kick-off is at 14:15 BST.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty Images
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