Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published on Saturday, 07 March 2026, 12:56 / Updated on Saturday, 07 March 2026 12:57
The failure suffered by Manchester United, 1-2 at Newcastle, in terms of numerical superiority, was enough for Michael Carrick to become the target of criticism. The manager of the “Red Devils” found a lawyer in Patrice Evra. “To be honest I'm not surprised by Scholes' statements. But I hope his Instagram story is fake,” said the former France defender.
He played the most games of his career at Manchester United and was a strong voice, albeit with sometimes controversial outings, in his commentary. The former left defender was disturbed by the attacks on his colleague from 2006 to 2014 at Old Trafford.
Since taking over after the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, Carrick has won six of eight matches, taking the Red Devils to third place. Not enough, according to some of the manager's former teammates.
Michael Carrick
Criticism of the 44-year-old manager intensified after the defeat (1-2) against Newcastle, who were down to ten men after a second yellow card received by Jacob Ramsey just before the break.
Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Roy Keane have spoken against Carrick in their analyses, but Patrice Evra disagrees. The former full-back defends the manager's work and urges his former colleagues to be less critical.
Patrice Evra: “I don't understand the lack of support for Carrick. Michael is one of ours and he is doing very well”
Interviewed by betting website Stake, the Frenchman hit out at the overly negative comments, slamming Scholes, who posted an Instagram story, “Michael”, referring to Carrick:, “He's definitely got something special. United have been a disaster in the last four games.”
The Scot quickly deleted the post, but the reactions caused quite a stir among fans, given the pair have been teammates for a long time.
Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes when they were playing for Manchester United. Photo: Imago
Evra criticized him: “I hope Paul Scholes' story on Instagram is fake. I hope his account was hacked.” But if the real Scholes had been the one to publish the accusatory message, the former French international would not be surprised: “To be honest, I'm not surprised by Scholes.
He was the quietest player I have ever played with in my entire career. Now, in the press, they only drop bombs.” Evra had praise for Carrick: “I don't understand the lack of support for Michael. He's one of ours and he's doing very well.”
