Scholes Slams Carrick and Man Utd After Newcastle Loss

Paul Scholes didn't hold back. He openly criticized Michael Carrick and Manchester United following their 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on Wednesday. The loss clearly stung.

Carrick's time as interim manager saw six wins and a draw. He even steered United into third place in the Premier League. But this defeat at St James' Park was a low point.

It wasn't pretty. United went behind after Bruno Fernandes tripped Antony Gordon in the box, leading to a converted penalty. Casemiro later headed in a free-kick from Fernandes, but it wasn't enough.

Newcastle, even down to ten men after Jacob Ramsey was booked for a foul on Casemiro and then for diving, held on. Referee Peter Bankes made the call.

The visitors just couldn't capitalize in the second half. Then, William Osula scored in the 90th minute, sealing the deal. Osula cut in from the right and curled the ball around Harry Maguire.

Scholes didn't mince words. He hopped on Instagram to blast his former club and Carrick. He clearly focused on the negatives.

He posted: "Michael has definitely got something special about him... cos Utd have been crap last 4 games... night" The post also included 'Tonali' and a heart emoji. Make of that what you will.

Scholes had previously named his "perfect" United manager earlier in the week, and he questioned whether Carrick has the "experience" for such a big job.

On The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said, "Michael Carrick is doing great, it's unbelievable the change. If you put yourself in the owner's shoes or whoever is making the decision, he's putting real pressure on them to get the job."

Scholes elaborated, "The people making that decision might have to think about it a little bit differently because I don't think you need the most technical or talented coach." He argued, "You're at a big club with good players who know what they're doing, maybe they need a man-manager more than anything."

He pointed to history. "If you look back to Sir Alex [Ferguson] he was never a coach really but he knew the players, he knew what the players needed and how to treat players to get the best out of them."

Scholes continued, "If you look at Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, I don't think they're the most technical or tactical coaches but they're good man-managers."

He even brought up other names. "Ruben Amorim seemed obsessed with tactics and it didn't work, Xabi Alonso seemed the same at Real Madrid. Do those type of big clubs need those coaches or a more man-manager?"

Scholes sees potential in Carrick's people skills. "I don't know what Michael's coaching style is like but I can imagine as a man-manager he's very good because he's brilliant with people and players."

But the big question? Experience. Scholes stated, "The question over Michael is does he have the experience? I know he's managed in the Championship but this is obviously different."

"Can we see Carrick winning United the Premier League? Look, we don't know yet," Scholes admitted.

Scholes has someone else in mind. "Now the perfect one out there... Ancelotti is still out there, I know he's with Brazil, but he's that perfect one for Manchester United where you think he would make players feel a million dollars and he's got the experience of winning trophies."

Is Ancelotti too old? "The only question would be is he too old? That's the only thing, is there anyone else of that ilk with a bit more experience?"

For Scholes, it's about winning the big one. "The way you judge a Manchester United manager is to look ahead and think, 'can United win the league with this manager?' It's not a case of finishing in the top-four, you need a manager who you think can win you the Premier League."

Experience matters. "The great thing someone like Ancelotti has is experience - I know that sounds obvious - but we don't know yet how Michael Carrick will deal with going through a bit of adversity," Scholes concluded.

Further reading on the game: Osula howitzer for Newcastle stuns feeble Man Utd as Carrick hopes fading fast.

READ NEXT: Next Man Utd permanent manager 'deadline' revealed as elite boss 'wants the job' over Carrick.