Paul Scholes: Manchester United legend slams Jose Mourinho’s team and says he’s been ‘depressed for a couple of years’
Former midfielder says United have no chance of winning the Premier League after 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce
PAUL SCHOLES has said that the last three years watching Manchester United has left him "depressed" - while it was later revealed the frustrated midfielder scribbled all over his notes.
The club legend was speaking after seeing Jose Mourinho's side lose 2-1 to Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
The scribbles include Jose Mourinho's name being CROSSED OUT and "Rojo big worry" written at the top.
Scholes, who won 11 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice at Old Trafford, says Mourinho needs time to make his mark on a poor squad.
The legendary midfielder even suggested that Mourinho under-estimated how bad the Manchester United squad really was before he took over.
He said on BT Sport: "We've had a very tough three years. The next three could be similar.
"Manchester United are not capable of winning the league with this squad.
"I've been depressed for a couple of years now. There are three or better teams in Premier League."
However, Scholes is not blaming Mourinho and wants the club to back the manager.
He added: "If you keep changing manager, where do we go next?
"I wonder if [Jose Mourinho] felt the squad was a bit better than it was when he came in."
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Mourinho spent more than £100million in the summer to bring in Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Ibrahimovic is facing retrospective action for grabbing Simon Kjaer's face.
Pogba has struggled under the weight of expectation following his £89m move from Juventus - and limped off in the first-half in Istanbul.
Ibrahimovic has scored just one goal in his last 11 matches, Bailly is injured and Mkhitaryan has started only one game all season.
Scholes believes Mourinho needs time - and a lot more spending - to get the squad to where he wants it.
"This United team will be unrecognisable in 18 months, two years," Scholes said, "when Jose has his team and has four transfer windows.
"I think, in two years, this team will be unrecognisable from what it is now but whatever we do in this two years has to be a bonus.
"Whether they can win the League Cup, whether they can win the FA Cup. Can they win this competition?"
BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey later revealed that a frustrated Scholes had scribbled all over his notes while watching the game.
He wrote on Twitter: "This is Paul Scholes' team sheet from tonight's Man Utd game.
"Fascinating... what tells you he was getting slightly frustrated..."
Scholes also said: "There's only so much a manager can do, but once the players go across the white line they have to be ready and they obviously weren't tonight.
"United were rattled, they couldn't handle it and for most of the game Fenerbahce bullied United.
"With those two centre halves United looked as thought they could concede goals all day long. When they go to Swansea on Sunday, they will have to score three goals.
"I think United have two big problems at the minute. They're really struggling to score goals and to win games of football with Blind and Rojo at centre half, they almost need to score three goals, because they are always going to give goals away all the time.
"They don't sense danger, they have no pace, they don't get physical against people and it's a worry because at the other end they really don't look like scoring goals."
United boss Mourinho criticised his team after their poor start - Moussa Sow scored with a brilliant overhead kick just two minutes in.
The Portuguese said: "What disappointed me most, is I have quite a big experience of playing Turkish teams,.
"I played twice with Real Madrid and twice with Chelsea, Porto too.
"I passed all my experience to the players. If you play against them in our home, it’s easy, always 2-0, 3-0 4-0, but you come to Turkey and it is completely different story.
"I told them to wait for that, to be focused on that and not to be focused on the easy game against them at Old Trafford last week, but we start the game as though we are asleep and they start at 100mph.
"For me football is from the first second, they played an emotional game and they deserved to win.
"We are fragile, I know we are. We have to be stronger mentally and start the game better than we did.
"Our problem started in our global attitude. They were playing a Champions League final, and we were playing a summer friendly.
"That is the reality of the way the game started."
He added: "Football is not just about quality, it is also about effort, commitment, playing [to] the limits, giving everything.
"A team that concedes a goal after two minutes is a team that is not ready, it is a team that is not mentally prepared, not focused, not concentrated."