Paul Scholes on Manchester United's Defensive Overhaul

Paul Scholes has never been shy about what Manchester United need. This time, he has gone straight for the jugular: rip up the heart of the defence and build it around Christian Romero.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, the former United and England midfielder argued that the attacking issues were largely fixed last summer. The real problem, in his eyes, sits 30 yards behind.

“I think they sorted out the forward areas last summer,” Scholes said, before landing his punchline. “But I think they probably need two centre backs. You might laugh at this and I might get stick for this, but I would go and sign Christian Romero from Tottenham.”

That is not a name you often hear linked with a move to Old Trafford, and Scholes knows exactly why. Romero is as combustible as he is commanding. The Argentina defender walks a disciplinary tightrope most weeks, his aggression both a weapon and a liability. Scholes did not duck that.

“I know he’s a nutter, I know he’s got disciplinary issues,” he admitted. “But he can be a very good centre half and someone that Michael Carrick could really calm down.”

The logic is clear. Elite pedigree, big-game experience, and a price tag that, in today’s market, almost sounds reasonable. “They’re talking about 30 or 40 million quid for a player who has been centre half in a World Cup final,” Scholes pointed out. For a club he believes is “desperate for a centre-back”, that sort of fee, in his view, should not even be a debate.

“The current ones aren’t good enough,” he added, stripping the situation down to its bare truth.

Scholes did not stop at the back line. His rebuild runs straight through midfield as well.

Having watched United miss out on Sandro Tonali, who chose Tottenham, Scholes turned his attention to Crystal Palace’s rising star Adam Wharton. For him, the 20-year-old is not just an option. He is the answer.

Wharton has just come off a remarkable season, helping Palace lift both the FA Cup and the Conference League, and has looked completely at ease dictating games from the middle of the pitch. Scholes sees a natural fit for United’s midfield pivot: technically secure, brave on the ball, and already used to responsibility on big stages.

There is a problem, and it is a sizeable one. Palace value Wharton at around £85m, a statement price for a player they know is central to their future. Any move would require not just money, but conviction.

Scholes cannot understand why United are not already at the front of the queue.

“I can’t believe they’re not trying to buy Adam Wharton,” he said on the podcast. “Sandro Tonali would have been my first-choice but with him gone now, Adam Wharton looks perfect to me.”

Two centre-backs. One young playmaker. A World Cup finalist with a wild streak and a homegrown midfielder with a trophy habit. In Scholes’ mind, that is the spine United have been missing. The only question now is whether anyone at Old Trafford is really listening.