Paul Scholes Reveals Michael Carrick Message After Man Utd Criticism

The former midfielder took a swipe at his old teammate on social media.

Paul Scholes (left) walked back on his criticism. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Paul Scholes sent a message to Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick to apologize for any potential offense caused by his recent inflammatory social media post.

Scholes deleted an Instagram story sarcastically laughing along with suggestions Carrick had “something about him,” claiming the team had been “c---“ for the last four matches in the immediate aftermath of last week’s 2–1 defeat to Newcastle United.

It was surprisingly harsh from Scholes, who attracted plenty of criticism from fans and neutrals alike as the latest in a long line of United legends to speak negatively about the interim boss. One former Red Devil, Patrice Evra, claimed Scholes was being intentionally controversial just to try and generate attention as he also took aim at Gary Neville and Roy Keane’s unimpressed opinions on Carrick.

“Michael is one of the nicest people you will ever meet in football,” Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football in response to the criticism. “He’d be the last person I would want to offend.

“I messaged Michael anyway. I went straight to Michael and said, ‘Look, I never intended to upset you.’ And I don’t think I needed to say that anyway, and he told me himself he wasn’t upset by it.

“I think people have just took it differently from what was meant. The only thing I was saying was that I don’t think they played that well the last four games, and he’s still managing to get results.”

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Carrick’s Mixed History With Scholes

Carrick and Scholes enjoyed a successful playing career together. | Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images

Scholes sits 12th on the list of Carrick’s most frequent teammates throughout his career. The pair shared the pitch 160 times for a satisfying total of 9,900 minutes exactly before Scholes retired in 2013.

Five years later, after his own retirement, Carrick gleefully named Scholes as the best player he ever played with.

“I always say Scholesy because he was right next to me and, as a partnership, he was fantastic to play with,” Carrick told The Mirror. “We had some incredible players, amazing, but I always go back to Scholesy.”

A relationship that once seemed full of positivity took a public twist in 2021 after Carrick was first appointed United interim manager in the aftermath of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s departure. It was the Norwegian who drafted Carrick into his coaching staff and Scholes accused the new boss of disloyalty towards Solskjær by stepping into his post.

“I get the impression with Ole that he put a lot of trust into Michael,” Scholes said live on BT Sport. “He put a lot of trust into Kieran [McKenna]. He put a lot of trust into Mike Phelan. Which is why they shouldn’t be at the club now, I don’t think.

“I’ve got big friends. Michael’s a good friend, Darren Fletcher, I’ve worked with Mike Phelan, I’ve worked with these people. I just think if I was in their position now, I’d be feeling guilty working at this football club still, while Ole put so much trust in them.”

Scholes went on to challenge Carrick for a perceived lack of “responsibility” for the form which saw Solskjær sacked, insisting he played a significant role as an assistant and should not have been protected from criticism.

Carrick offered a typically diplomatic response, insisting he wasted little time in speaking to Solskjær for advice after being offered the interim job.

The state of the pair’s relationship in 2026 is unclear, but Scholes has often gone public with his desire to see a new manager hired in the summer, questioning Carrick’s lack of experience at the highest level—a valid point against a boss whose prior experience came in the Championship with Middlesbrough.

Carrick, for his part, has declined the chance to fire back at any of his big-name doubters. He still has the overwhelming support of the majority of United fans after a run of six wins from eight games in charge, although the race for Champions League qualification could ultimately be what decides his fate.

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