‘It’s weird…’: Lineker taken aback by ‘odd’ developments he’s hearing about United

Gary Lineker was as surprised as Manchester United supporters were when he learned of Paul Scholes’ bizarre dig towards Michael Carrick.When Carrick sustained his first defeat as Red Devils manager away to Newcastle United last week, Scholes took to Instagram at full-time to react, writing on Instagram: “Michael has definitely got something special about him… because Utd have been crap [the] last four games… Night!” 💬 Paul Scholes says United have been ‘crap’ in the last four games… As supportive as ever from the former Red. 😅 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/8WyQdQDk4q — Stretty News (@StrettyNews) March 4, 2026DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL STRETTY NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE& GOOGLE PLAYWhy Scholes’ statement was unwarrantedHe subsequently deleted the post, presumably due to the widespread backlash he was receiving from fans.Even if he had felt as though the side’s performance levels had faltered in recent weeks, having one of your own former players, particularly one as highly regarded as Scholes, issuing such a critical verdict, doesn’t benefit anyone.Not to mention his seemingly direct jab at his former teammate Carrick, who can hold his head at the job he’s done since taking the reins in the aftermath of Ruben Amorim’s abrupt sacking in January.To have even overseen seven games without sustaining a loss is a stellar feat in itself, but the fact that he has the side in such good standing to secure Champions League football means he’s doing exactly what INEOS asked of him when appointing him.What Lineker had to say about Scholes’ Carrick digWhen analysing United’s clash with the Magpies on The Rest Is Football in the subsequent days, Lineker said of the situation: “He (Scholes) is digging him (Carrick) out, isn’t he? He’s not exactly being very supportive of his old teammate, is he?“You see, there’s a little bit of beef between Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick? It’s an odd one.“It’s weird, isn’t it? Maybe there’s a bit of history there. Who knows?”Nonetheless, if there is indeed ‘beef’ like Lineker suggests, it appears to be one-sided, as Carrick has conducted himself superbly and with the utmost professionalism while navigating one of the most scrutinised job roles in world football.