Manchester United's 'recruitment is a MESS', blasts Paul Scholes - as Red Devils icon insists the club are 'relying more on hope than proven quality' in a dig at Erik ten Hag's transfer history

Paul Scholes has slammed Manchester United's recruitment and claims they are 'relying much connected dream than proven quality'. 

The Red Devils continued their mediocre commencement to nan play arsenic they extended their winless tally to 5 matches pinch a goalless tie astatine Aston Villa. 

Erik 10 Hag's broadside extremity nan play successful 14th spot successful nan Premier League table pinch a extremity quality of minus-three contempt dense recruitment complete nan summer. 

Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro and Noussair Mazraoui each joined nan nine aft a dismal run which saw United decorativeness eighth past season. 

However, Scholes believes nan erstwhile 2 person not made impacts and heavy criticised Ten Hag and nan club's recruitment strategy. 

The erstwhile United midfielder besides questioned nan roles of Rasmus Hojlund and Lisandro Martinez, who were some signed by nan Dutchman.  

'In guardant areas especially, I conscionable don't deliberation nan value is there. We spell backmost to nan astir successful teams, they're tin of scoring goals. What person we scored? Five goals successful 7 games,' Scholes told SuperSport.

'Now we had 3 aliases 4 forwards who could get you 20 goals truthful you're looking astatine 80 goals a play location and I conscionable don't spot that successful nan guardant statement astatine Manchester United. Look, Hojlund does alright but is he gonna people you 20 goals? I don't deliberation so.

'Zirkzee… what is he? Is he a No.9 aliases a No.10? Is he going to get you 20 goals? I don't deliberation so. I deliberation they're relying much connected dream than existent proven value and they spent truthful overmuch money arsenic well.

'It's a ridiculous magnitude of money and immoderate of them can't get successful nan team! You deliberation of Ugarte coming into nan nine who was expected to alteration nan measurement nan midfield was… he didn't play him.

'De Ligt, £50m and he didn't play him. Jonny Evans has travel successful astatine 36 years aged alternatively of him. Martinez, Ten Hag brought him into nan club. What's he reasoning today? Jonny Evans is playing, Maguire started, [Victor] Lindelof comes connected earlier him. It's conscionable a recruitment messiness really.' 

Scholes besides accused United of utilizing 'survival tactics' alternatively of going retired to triumph astatine Villa Park. 

He added: 'When you don't person a style of play and you don't cognize really to play, aliases nan measurement you want to play, it's very difficult to take players. With Liverpool it was rather elemental to buy, you cognize what you've sewage to do. They play 4-3-3 a. d you tin enlistee for that 

'But erstwhile you don't person a style of play, you don't cognize really you're going to play, it changes from week to week, you're almost throwing balls successful nan aerial and saying, "He looks a bully player, we'll effort and get him".

'It's a constituent for United, going to a reliable crushed nether a batch of pressure. I ne'er really felt for illustration they went location to effort and triumph nan game. It was much of a endurance maneuver much than anything.

'But from everything we've said earlier nan game, United were rather reliable to play against coming and you person to return into relationship nan midweek fixtures. Villa had a large assistance from Bayern Munich, winning that game, large atmosphere.

'They struggled to really unrecorded up that today. You could spot they astir apt suffered a bit. For Manchester United, it's difficult to spell distant successful Europe connected Thursday nighttime and it was a reliable crippled against Porto pinch 10 men for immoderate of nan crippled truthful I deliberation nan crippled astir apt reflected nan midweek that some clubs had.'