Rio Ferdinand has publicly addressed the apparent tension between Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick following Manchester United's recent defeat at Newcastle. The former United defender disclosed that he personally reached out to Scholes after the midfield legend posted a critical comment on Instagram about Carrick's performance.
Scholes' Controversial Instagram Post
Shortly after United's loss at St James' Park, Scholes shared a post that read: 'Michael has definitely got something special about him...cos Utd have been crap last four games.' This sparked immediate speculation among fans and pundits about a potential rift between the two former teammates.
Ferdinand recounted the incident on his YouTube channel, Rio Presents, stating: 'Everyone was saying is Scholesy drunk has he had a few too many to drink? I actually texted him and said 'what's going on?' But Scholesy is Scholesy. He said 'listen I said he's special but we have been rubbish the last four games'.'
Ferdinand's Clarification on the 'Beef'
Ferdinand emphasized that there is no genuine conflict between Scholes and Carrick. He explained: 'People are going 'I thought he was his teammate, I thought he'd support him a bit more. Did he need to say that?' Those are obviously the questions people are asking if there a bit of beef between them? Listen, there's not beef between them two. They're two really placid, calm guys. Carra has the upmost respect for Scholesy and Scholesy the same. It was just interpreted differently to the way Scholesy meant it to come across.'
He further described Scholes' straightforward nature: 'He's just being honest and brutal. One thing I'd say about him, he didn't say much in the changing room but when he did it was normally a cutting comment so I'm not surprised he is how he is as a pundit right now.'
Patrice Evra's Reaction to Scholes' Comments
Another Manchester United legend, Patrice Evra, expressed disbelief at Scholes' post. Evra told Stake: 'I hope Paul Scholes' Instagram story is fake, I hope he was hacked. To be honest, I'm not surprised at that from Scholesy. He was the quietest player I've ever played with in my entire career. Now, in the media, he drops bombshells.'
Evra criticized the lack of support for Carrick, who has overseen a significant turnaround at United since taking over as interim boss in January. He said: 'I really don't understand the lack of support behind Michael Carrick, he's one of us and he's doing very well. There's been negative analysis from Scholesy, but also from Roy Keane and Gary Neville. It annoys me because we want to be in the top four, and those comments are unnecessary, but this is what you do when you work in TV. You can't be positive, you have to be negative.'
Evra's Critique of Former Players Turned Pundits
Evra also took aim at former players who have struggled in managerial roles but now critique others. He recalled telling Gary Neville: 'It's easy to talk on TV. When you were at Valencia, they asked you for paella, and you gave them fish and chips'. After three months, they said goodbye. People can't forget what they have done as a manager. As players, they're legends, but as managers, they haven't done a great job. So for them to speak and possibly kill the career of a manager, it's a little bit too much.'
Despite the criticism, Carrick has transformed Manchester United's fortunes, with the team now well-positioned to qualify for the Champions League after inheriting a squad that was setting unwanted records earlier in the season.
