Paul Scholes on Manchester United's Progress Under Carrick

Paul Scholes has welcomed Manchester United’s revival under Michael Carrick – but he does not see his old club going toe-to-toe with Arsenal for the Premier League crown just yet.

United were drifting last season. Champions League hopes were fading, even European qualification looked in danger, until Carrick stepped in for Ruben Amorim in January and quietly changed the mood at Old Trafford.

From there, United surged. Carrick steered them to third place, just seven points behind neighbours Manchester City, and turned a drifting campaign into a platform. That late-season charge has fuelled talk that United could leap straight into a title race in Carrick’s first full year in the dugout.

Scholes isn’t buying that. Not yet.

Scholes impressed by Carrick – but not convinced by the squad

Speaking on The Overlap, the former midfielder pointed to Carrick’s temperament as a key reason for United’s turnaround, describing him as calm, relaxed, and never too emotional in victory or defeat. That, Scholes feels, has filtered through the squad.

But when he looks at United’s transfer business, he measures it against one simple question: can this team realistically challenge for the Premier League?

Right now, his answer is no. “A little bit away,” is how he puts it, especially when compared to defending champions Arsenal.

Scholes sees a recruitment plan unfolding in stages. Last summer, United focused on the forward line. It looks sharper now, more dangerous, but still incomplete. He believes they could use another centre-forward to ease the burden on Benjamin Sesko. The Slovenian improved last season, Scholes acknowledged, but he is still young and still learning the league.

This summer, the attention has swung to the middle of the pitch – an area that repeatedly let United down.

A fragile spine and lingering doubts

For Scholes, the core of the team remains the big concern. Not just central midfield. Centre-half too.

He highlighted how opponents regularly hurt United by driving straight through the middle, exposing a lack of pace and mobility in key areas. That theme, in his eyes, has not been fully addressed.

Andrey Santos has arrived, but Scholes admitted he has “hardly seen” the Brazilian play and wants to give him time before making a firm judgement. Youri Tielemans, he says, is a “brilliant footballer” who can dictate games, yet athleticism is not his strength. Put together, it leaves Scholes unconvinced that United have solved their central issues.

His biggest criticism lands on the centre-backs. He does not believe the current group is of the level required to win the Premier League, and he keeps coming back to one word: reliability.

Too many injuries. Too many doubts.

Harry Maguire is “starting to pick up niggles”. Lisandro Martinez “just can’t stay fit”. Leny Yoro has “struggled a bit over the last two years”, with Scholes suggesting the level “looks a little bit above him” at this stage, while still acknowledging the youngster could develop, especially alongside Ayden Heaven.

For a team judged by title standards, that is too much uncertainty in the heart of the defence.

Scholes wants a stronger spine, more legs in midfield, and centre-backs who can be trusted to play week after week. Until that arrives, he does not see United closing the gap to Arsenal.

Arsenal set the bar

Arsenal, meanwhile, are not standing still.

Fresh from ending their long wait for a Premier League title – their first since 2004 – and reaching the Champions League final, where they lost to PSG on penalties, Mikel Arteta’s side have gone back into the market aggressively.

They look sharp already. A 3-0 dismantling of Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday underlined the momentum around the Emirates. The champions appear settled, hungry, and deeper than before.

That is the standard Scholes is using when he assesses United. And that is why he keeps coming back to the same conclusion: Carrick’s team are progressing, but not yet ready to knock Arsenal off their perch.

A new challenge for Carrick

There is another twist to Carrick’s task this season. Last year, United benefitted from a lighter schedule. No midweek European grind, no constant Thursday-Sunday rhythm. Scholes pointed out that “everything was in his favour” in that sense.

Now, that changes. Midweek football returns. The squad will be stretched. Rotations will be tested. Carrick’s calm will face a new kind of pressure.

Scholes still backs him. He believes Carrick has the ability to win the Premier League with Manchester United one day – just not in 2026-27. The job, in his view, is to keep building, keep refining, keep upgrading that fragile spine.

United open their new league campaign this weekend against newly-promoted Hull City, eager to turn last season’s surge into something more substantial.

Arsenal begin their title defence on Friday night against Coventry City.

The champions already look ready for another long race. The question is whether Carrick’s United can stay close enough, long enough, to convince Scholes that the real fight is coming.