Rio Ferdinand shares what “honest and brutal” Scholes texted him about Carrick

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has shared his point of view on the suggestions that Paul Scholes may have some kind of issue with Michael Carrick. Ferdinand has made it clear he does not believe there is any real fallout between his former teammates. The discussion gathered pace after Scholes’ social media caption about Carrick followed United’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park, a result that ended the interim boss’ unbeaten run. Gary Lineker quickly seized on the tone of the post, while Patrice Evra began to wonder whether there was more to it. The former centre-back addressed the issue on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast after deciding to get a better picture of what Scholes really meant by his words regarding Carrick’s current spell at M16. Calm after the storm On his show, Rio Ferdinand made it evident that he texted Scholes directly rather than simply relying on the football world’s reaction. The most obvious sign of his stance came in the title of the episode itself, with the ex-West Ham United defender declaring: “I spoke to Scholes – there’s NO BEEF with Carrick!” Moreover, the way he framed the situation left little doubt about the conclusion he wanted to get across. The Peckham native dismissed the wider theory more directly, proclaiming: “There’s no beef between them, too.” Ferdinand revealed: “I actually texted him and said ‘what’s going on?’ But Scholesy is Scholesy. He said ‘listen I said he’s special but we have been rubbish the last four games.’” Essentially, he was pushing back on the idea that Scholes’ remarks were evidence of a personal grudge. He is simply “honest and brutal,” said Ferdinand about Scholes. Why Ferdinand stepped in All three ex-players shared a dressing room during one of the English club’s most successful periods, so any hint of tension naturally attracts attention. The former Leeds man’s message, however, was that the speculation had run ahead of the reality. From Ferdinand’s standpoint, this was never a feud at all, just a badly received comment that spiralled into something much bigger once it left Scholes’ phone screen. Featured image Gareth Copley via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Okari Wambunya Okari Wambunya is a football writer at The Peoples Person, covering Manchester United with fast, accurate, and source-led news, analysis, opinions, team developments, injuries, press conferences, and matchday reactions. A former secondary school teacher, he now coaches college football (not soccer) and continues to support young people through academic mentoring and youth work. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from Brunel University London and an MA in Education from King’s College London, with experience across digital journalism and broadcast sports media. Okari first praised Michael Carrick in a blog post he wrote at 16-years-old in 2014; over a decade later, United appointing Carrick as interim head coach feels like a full-circle moment.