Paul Scholes Claims Two Players Will Stop Man Utd From ‘Ever’ Winning The Premier League

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes the club will find it difficult to challenge for the Premier League title unless they improve their central defensive options, singling out Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez as players who may not be capable of forming a title-winning partnership.

As reported by Metro on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the former United midfielder argued that the club’s failure to adequately address its defensive weaknesses over several transfer windows could continue to damage its ambitions. His criticism followed another disappointing result for Michael Carrick’s team, who surrendered a late lead to draw 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.

United appeared to be heading towards an important victory after Bryan Mbeumo put them ahead with approximately 20 minutes remaining. Tottenham’s prospects of getting back into the contest then suffered another setback when Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for headbutting Luke Shaw, leaving the visitors to finish the match with 10 players.

Despite enjoying a numerical advantage, United could not protect their lead. Dominic Solanke struck in stoppage time to rescue a point for Tottenham, extending United’s winless run to four matches and leaving Carrick’s side 12th in the Premier League table.

The result attracted further criticism from Scholes, who questioned whether United’s summer recruitment had done enough to close the gap between the club and the teams competing for major honours. He was particularly troubled by the team’s inability to control a match against opponents who had been bottom of the league before travelling to Old Trafford.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes argued that Tottenham had performed with greater authority than United during the encounter. He suggested that the performance raised serious questions about the squad’s quality and whether the club had made sufficient progress under its current management.

Scholes was not equally critical of every area of the team. He indicated that United possess reasonable attacking options, suggesting that their forward line is not the most pressing concern. Instead, he believes the club should have focused more heavily on strengthening its central defence, an area he considers inadequately addressed in recent transfer windows.

The former England international was particularly dismissive of the partnership between Maguire and Martinez, arguing that United have relied on the same central defensive options for too long without establishing a combination capable of consistently competing at the highest level.

“We’ve had the same centre-halves now for two or three years and we know you’re not going to be successful with them. You’re never, ever going to win the Premier League with them,” Scholes said.

He also criticised Martinez’s involvement in Tottenham’s late equaliser, pointing to the Argentine’s physical contest with Solanke and arguing that the defender should have done more to prevent the striker from scoring. The incident reinforced Scholes’ wider concerns about United’s ability to defend effectively under pressure.

His comments place additional scrutiny on the club’s recruitment strategy as the team attempts to recover from its recent run of disappointing results. Although United have attacking players capable of producing decisive moments, Scholes believes defensive shortcomings remain a significant obstacle to sustained success.

Carrick must now prepare his players for Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid. With confidence under pressure following the Tottenham draw, United will be expected to produce a stronger performance as they seek to halt their poor run and restore belief in their ability to compete across major competitions.