Man United’s Failure To Sign Donnarumma ‘A Criminal Offence’ – Club legend, Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes has sharply criticized Manchester United’s transfer decisions after their 3-0 loss to rivals Manchester City in the derby.
United have had a disappointing start to the season, earning only four points from their first four league games and exiting the Carabao Cup against Grimsby Town. This is despite investing over £200 million in new signings, including Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, and Senne Lammens.
Scholes was particularly dissatisfied with United’s goalkeeping situation. Despite spending £18.2 million on Lammens, the Belgian was left on the bench against City in favor of Altay Bayindir, while Andre Onana was loaned out to Trabzonspor after struggling earlier in the campaign.
In contrast, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was available for only £26 million, signed with Manchester City and delivered an impressive performance on his debut in the derby.
Man United’s failure to sign Donnarumma “a criminal offence” – Club legend, Paul Scholes
“Goalkeeper as well was a major issue,” Scholes said on the BBC Football Daily podcast. “Did you really need to get to that Grimsby game to realise Onana has not been good enough? Then you see someone like Donnarumma become available and you think: this is a chance. You can get a keeper for £35–40m who can serve you for the next 10 years.”
Donnarumma, who played a key role in PSG’s first Champions League triumph last season, was considered surplus by Luis Enrique after Lucas Chevalier’s arrival. Despite links to Old Trafford, United chose Lammens, allowing City to swoop in after offloading Ederson to Fenerbahce.
Scholes didn’t mince words: “If Man United were not in the market for Donnarumma when he became available, that’s a criminal offence for me. You buy this lad from Belgium for €20m (£18.2m) — that tells you everything about him at this point.”
Speaking later on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, he reiterated: “The Donnarumma one is the biggest mistake I can see. As soon as that man became available, drive to Paris, go get him, give him whatever he wants. He could easily be the best goalkeeper in the world — he reminds me of Peter Schmeichel.”
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