Selfish' Alexis wasn't a player Man Utd needed-SCHOLES

Scholes: 'Selfish' Alexis wasn't a player Man Utd needed
Formal manchestet united star questioned the signing of the Chilean, who has struggled to replicate his Arsenal form at Old Trafford

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has taken aim at Alexis Sanchez, calling the Chilean "selfish" and saying United never needed to sign him.

United landed Sanchez from Arsenal in January as part of an exchange deal, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan heading the other direction.

Many saw the signing as a coup, especially with United's rivals Man City consistently linked with Sanchez before they were beaten to the punch by the Red Devils.

The 29-year-old was made the Premier League's highest-paid player, but has so far struggled to replicate the form that he displayed with the Gunners.

Alexis has just one goal and one assist in seven appearances for United in 2018-19, and Scholes has questioned the wisdom of his former side's investment in the Chile international.

"I know he has qualities and has been a good player but I never saw him as a United player," Scholes told ESPN FC.

"I saw him as a bit selfish, someone who played for himself sometimes. I didn't think he was a player that we needed, especially for that type of money.

"How would we be able to get rid of him now when he earns those wages? The signing felt like it happened just to stop Man City signing him."

Scholes did, however, indicate that Sanchez's struggles at Old Trafford may not entirely be his fault.

"It feels like every player who comes into the team struggles," Scholes said. "I feel like we could sign Lionel Messi at the moment and he'd struggle in this team."

That assessment has much to do with the inability of manager Jose Mourinho to get the best out of an expensively assembled United squad.

Scholes, who said Mourinho is "embarrassing the club" earlier this month, nonetheless still believes that United should not sack the Portuguese boss at this time.

"The big thing with United is the effort and the attitude. When you looked at the West Ham game last week, it looked like the biggest sign of players not wanting to play for Jose, but I would not sack him," Scholes said.

"I hope the situation is retrievable. I'd like Jose to show people why he's such a great coach because this is his biggest test in football."

Mourinho has made his frustration with United's board clear over a perceived lack of investment, but Scholes believes the manager has to make better use of the talent at his disposal.

"It's not like he's been given nothing. He's been given fortunes to spend and he's bought a lot of these players.

"He's bought the two centre-halfs who don't look good enough. If he doesn't think they're good enough, then coach them and make them better."

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