Scholes denies secretly mocking Carrick's coaching at Manchester United! Statement misunderstood, has contacted Carrick to clarify.

Following Manchester United's 1-2 defeat to Newcastle United last week, a social media comment by legend Paul Scholes was seen as an indirect jab at manager Michael Carrick. Yet, Scholes has now spoken up, clarifying that his original meaning was not critical and was simply misinterpreted.

Scholes posted on social media: "Michael (Carrick) indeed possesses something extraordinary, as United's performances over the past four games have been utterly terrible. Really bad." After the controversy erupted, Scholes deleted this post. The statement was widely interpreted as Scholes sarcastically criticizing Carrick's poor managerial results. Previously, other United legends like Roy Keane and Gary Neville had criticized Carrick, arguing that despite his good record, he should not be appointed permanently, and the club needs a top-tier manager.

Regarding his own remarks, Scholes believes people misunderstood him; his actual intention was to remind everyone after the loss that United had played poorly in several matches before losing one, and Carrick indeed has unique qualities. "I absolutely had no intention to offend Michael," Scholes explained. "Michael is one of the best people in football, and I have no reason to attack him. I've already sent Michael a message saying, 'I never meant to cause you any distress.' Actually, I didn't think an explanation was necessary, but he told me he wasn't upset by it."

Scholes further explained: "I think people's interpretation deviated from what I actually meant to express. My point was that over the last four matches, United's performances weren't good, yet they still managed to achieve decent results. Doesn't that indicate Michael truly has something special? We once had the world's greatest manager (Sir Alex Ferguson), who always said that in matches you sometimes encounter red cards or various unexpected situations, and winning requires a bit of luck—that's what I meant."

Former United teammate Wes Brown stated that he understands both sides of the controversy, and he initially also thought Scholes was mocking Carrick. Regarding this, Scholes added: "What Wes (Brown) said—I never meant that, and I'm not saying Michael is just a lucky coach. That's not what I meant. I meant he is very talented, because against West Ham and in subsequent matches, he led United to still achieve decent results even though the team's performance wasn't ideal."

Another member of United's Class of '92, Nicky Butt, also defended Scholes: "Michael definitely wouldn't interpret it like outsiders; he would surely know Scholes' true intention. Michael himself said United's performance level in recent matches hasn't been good."

Rio Ferdinand, who has consistently supported Carrick, mentioned this incident on his own program and confirmed he had verified it with Scholes.

"Everyone was asking what Scholes was trying to do," Ferdinand said. "So I asked him about it. Scholes never minces words. He said: 'I just said he's special, but our performance in the last four matches was really bad.' From a performance standpoint, Scholes wasn't wrong; United indeed played poorly."

Ferdinand continued: "People said: 'I thought they were teammates, so he should support him more.' People wondered if there was any conflict between Scholes and Carrick. Listen, there is no conflict. Both are very calm and composed individuals who deeply respect each other. However, people interpreted Scholes' implied meaning differently, and he was just speaking honestly."

Many don't understand why Scholes, who was quiet during his playing days, has become so different as a commentator. Ferdinand explained: "Scholes indeed spoke little in the dressing room back then, but whenever he did speak, his words were often sharp. So, I'm not surprised by his performance as a commentator now."