Manchester United’s players look “bored”, former midfielder Paul Scholes said after watching his old side edge third-tier Sheffield United 1-0 in the FA Cup on Saturday.
United needed a stoppage-time penalty from captain Wayne Rooney to see off their League One opponents and mustered only one other attempt on target in the third-round tie at Old Trafford.
The home fans applauded ironically whenever Louis van Gaal’s side attempted a shot at goal and many had already left the stadium by the time Rooney spared his team from an unwanted replay.
“The players looked bored themselves,” said Scholes, who was analysing the match on BT Sport. “There’s no spirit, there’s nobody having a go at each other, there’s no smiling, there’s no entertainment.
“I think even Van Gaal on the bench looks bored, but he’ll come out and say he’s happy. It wasn’t a great performance. Will he be happy with it? I think he probably will be. I think that’s the way he likes to play football.
“I’ve tried to defend this team over recent weeks, but it’s getting more and more difficult to do.”
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United have already recorded six 0-0 draws at Old Trafford this season, which would have been unthinkable in Scholes’s day, and the former England midfielder sounded exasperated as he dissected their latest display.
“We haven’t seen anything different now for the last six months. That’s the way this team plays football, and he’ll be happy with the 1-0 win,” Scholes said in reference to Van Gaal.
“We don’t see anything else, and he constantly comes out and says he’s happy with his team, he’s happy with the way they’ve played.
“But they didn’t create a chance, had to win a game against a League One side with a penalty in the 94th minute. In my eyes it’s not good enough.”
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