Paul Scholes joins Sir Alex Ferguson as Man Utd next manager feelings clear
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were in attendance at Old Trafford as Manchester United suffered a 2-1 third-round FA Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion
Sir Alex Ferguson was joined by Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt to watch Manchester United get dumped out of the FA Cup by Brighton & Hove Albion. Danny Welbeck came back to haunt his old club as his side picked up a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Welbeck scored his side’s second midway through the second-half after Brajan Gruda’s first-half opener. Benjamin Sesko’s header five minutes from time breathed life into the home side, but 18-year-old home substitute Shea Lacey was sent off in the final minute.
Scholes and Butt joined Sir Alex Ferguson in the Old Trafford directors’ box for the game, after they opened up on their struggles to get match tickets. Scholes is not a regular in the directors’ box.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast two months ago, Scholes revealed: “It’s a very different football club to the club we knew.
“I don’t know about you Nicky, you worked there quite recently, but I don’t really know anybody there.” To which Butt replied: “I don’t know anybody there.”
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Scholes then continued: “I have four season tickets, so we use them… my son uses them every single week. You get people asking (for tickets).
“I’ve had a Salford lad who wants to got to the game this week – a couple of tickets. So I’ve had to ring a tout? Am I allowed to say that? Honestly, I know a tout.”
Before Butt revealed: “My lad has got the same thing. If you don’t use them three times, you get them taken off you.
“I’ve had an email saying, ‘You’re having your ticket taken off you’. So I rang them up and said, ‘Can I speak to somebody about this, please?’ And they go, “Who am I speaking to, please?” and I go, ‘Nicky Butt,’ and they go, ‘OK, well, who’s that?'”
Scholes jumped in and joked: “Who’s that? Is that the one who used to play for Newcastle?” Butt then added: “I couldn’t really say it, but I felt like saying, ‘I played about 450 games for this club!'”
United are working to appoint an interim head coach after Ruben Amorim was sacked last week after 14 months in charge at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick has now emerged as the frontrunner suddenly, ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the battle to land the job on an interim basis, and an appointment could even come on Monday ahead of Saturday’s Manchester derby in the Premier League.
Speaking just last week, Butt said: “Tuchel is my No1, my No2 maybe Michael Carrick, but my outsider… go and get Keaney. People might laugh and he might not want the job.
“But United have tried everything: superstar managers in Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, one of their own in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then they’ve got one of the best coaches in Europe in Ruben Amorim, with a few in between.
“Some have been shocking. Why not have a conversation with Keane? He would lead the dressing room, he might fall out with a few, he might knock a couple out, let’s be honest, but the fanbase would go whoom [together and upwards].
“It might never happen. It will take a real strong leader to employ him, but sit down and have a chat with him.
“Roy has changed unbelievably in the last ten years – he’s always been funny and great company, but he’s calmed down so much, and he definitely knows his flaws and would bring people in to accommodate that.
“He will blow and cause problems, but he would put something in the changing room that it’s not had for a long time.”
Scholes agreed with his former team-mate on Keane and also said he wouldn’t appoint Gareth Southgate, Xavi or Oliver Glasner.
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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