Paul Scholes called out Michael Carrick on Wednesday night after naming his preferred candidates to take over as Manchester United manager

Paul Scholes had already named the six managers he wants to take charge of Manchester United before he fired a dig at Michael Carrick.

The United legend and pundit has been vocal in recent months about who he would like to see in the dugout at Old Trafford. Scholes named several potential successors to Ruben Amorim while the Portuguese was still head coach, and has continued to do so even after Carrick replaced Amorim as interim manager until the end of this season.

Scholes does not appear to be convinced by Carrick despite his former team-mate’s impressive start at United, where he won six games and drew one in his first seven fixtures. Following Carrick’s first defeat on Wednesday, a 2-1 loss at Newcastle, the former midfielder aimed a sarcastic jibe at the current boss.

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He wrote on his Instagram story: “Michael has definitely got something special about him… cos Utd have been c*** last four games… night.” That is in line with Scholes’ comments over the past five months, where he has not named Carrick among his list of candidates that he would like to come in as United’s manager.

Recently, he said on The Good, The Bad & The Football Podcast that former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was his preferred pick, despite the Italian currently being in charge of the Brazil national team ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Scholes said: “The perfect one out there – I say perfect – Ancelotti is still out there. I know he is the coach of Brazil. He is the perfect one for Manchester United, where you think he will make players feel a million dollars. And he has the experience of winning stuff. But the question is, is he too old now? That’s the only thing. Is there anyone else of that ilk, with more experience? They need presence as a leader.”

That was a different pick from the three names he listed in January after Amorim’s sacking. The 51-year-old had identified Aston Villa boss Unai Emery as a shrewd appointment. Despite his podcast co-host Nicky Butt not being convinced that Emery would leave Villa to join United, Scholes insisted the Spaniard could be swayed by the allure of Old Trafford.

He also named Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola as an option, highlighting his tremendous job on the south coast. Scholes admitted he was a big fan of the Spaniard’s philosophy, saying: “Iraola at Bournemouth, I think he plays attacking football.”

But the United icon’s preferred pick was England manager Thomas Tuchel. He said: “Number one for me, which I’d do in the summer, is Thomas Tuchel all day long. I think Tuchel is one of the very best out there. He’d be my number one target, and his contract with England is only until the summer.

“I think he can be a bit temperamental, and he could be quite difficult to handle. But he’s done it at big clubs. And he’s turned England around of late. You won’t know how much he’s done with England until the World Cup because the opposition is that bad. But England do look a lot better under him.”

Tuchel had been linked with the United job for some time before taking charge of the Three Lions in October 2024. The German famously won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 before being dismissed several months later, going on to manage Bayern Munich afterwards.

Yet, barring any disaster at the World Cup, Tuchel is set to remain England’s long-term manager, having signed a contract extension until the end of Euro 2028 since Scholes’ comments. Another name Scholes has mentioned ahead of Carrick is Eddie Howe of Newcastle, who has guided the club to the Champions League in recent years.

Speaking on The Overlap last October, he said: “Eddie Howe, Eddie Howe. I’m not sure about his mate [assistant manager Jason Tindall], but definitely him.”

Around the same time, he stated that Zinedine Zidane was a great alternative to Amorim. The former Real Madrid manager has been out of work since 2021 but has reportedly now reached a verbal agreement to become France’s manager after the World Cup.

Scholes said: “This is one of the very biggest clubs in the world, so they should have the very best in class. Zidane is the one who has been at a major, major club and won major honours. But I am not sure how educated he is with the English language or whether he actually wants to come to England. You never get that feeling with him.”