Paul Scholes clarified his controversial Instagram post, stating it was not intended to offend Michael Carrick. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said, "I absolutely did not mean to offend Carrick. He is one of the kindest people you could meet in football. Carrick is the last person I would want to upset".

Scholes (right) was Carrick's teammate at Manchester United from 2006-2013. Photo: Thairath

The 51-year-old former midfielder revealed he messaged Carrick immediately after the post went viral. "I told Carrick that I had no intention of upsetting him. Honestly, I thought I didn't even need to say it, but I still messaged. Carrick said he wasn't bothered at all", Scholes added.

These explanations followed Scholes' controversial Instagram post last weekend, after Manchester United lost 1-2 to Newcastle despite having a man advantage. In the story, which was later deleted, he wrote: "Michael must have something special, because United have played like trash in the last four matches. Good night". Scholes also included a smiling face emoji with a kiss and mentioned Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali with a heart emoji. This sarcastic expression led many to believe Scholes was mocking Carrick and criticizing his former teammate's coaching ability.

According to Scholes, the online backlash mainly stemmed from a misunderstanding of the content. "I think people interpreted it differently from my original intention", said the former midfielder, an 11-time premier league champion. "The only thing I wanted to say was that the team might not have played well in the last four matches, but they still achieved good results". He also cited former coach Alex Ferguson's perspective, who once said that in football, sometimes a team needs a bit of luck to win, such as an opponent's red card or unexpected situations during a match. "I only wanted to convey exactly that", Scholes added.

Scholes denied implying that Carrick was merely lucky while managing the team during this period. "I didn't say Carrick is a lucky coach", Scholes shared. "He is very talented, as he still achieved significant results in the last four matches despite the team not playing well since facing West Ham".

Forward Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) challenges defender Jacob Murphy (Newcastle) during a match at St James' Park, Newcastle, England on 4/3. Photo: Reuters

On his personal podcast, former defender Rio Ferdinand stated he also messaged Scholes when the post circulated online. "Scholes is not one to beat around the bush", said the 47-year-old former defender. "He said Carrick is special, but we have played poorly in the last four matches. In terms of performance, he wasn't wrong; the team hasn't truly achieved high quality". According to Ferdinand, many questioned whether there was a conflict between Scholes and Carrick, but he affirmed that none existed. "The two are very calm and always respect each other", Ferdinand said. "It was just the phrasing that led people to understand it differently".

Meanwhile, former defender Wes Brown admitted he initially interpreted the post negatively, while Nicky Butt believed Carrick would understand Scholes' true intention, as the 44-year-old coach also acknowledged the team had not played well in recent matches.

Some former Manchester United players, including Roy Keane and Gary Neville, also expressed doubts about Carrick's suitability for a long-term coaching position at Old Trafford. Scholes had previously questioned Carrick's coaching experience, as he had managed Middlesbrough for over two seasons before returning to Manchester United. "The question is whether Carrick has enough experience", Scholes said in a previous discussion. "This is a different level. Can we imagine Carrick winning the premier league? I don't know".

Under Carrick's leadership, Manchester United have lost only one of eight matches. Addressing comments from former teammates, he stated in 1/2026 that those remarks did not add pressure on him. "There are many opinions around, both positive and negative", Carrick said. "But that doesn't affect what I focus on. For me, it's important to work with the players and find ways to help the team improve".

By Hoang An