Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has now cleared the air surrounding the belief that there is a “little bit of beef” between Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes.
Paul Scholes took aim at Michael Carrick last week after Manchester United were defeated by 10-man Newcastle in their Premier League clash at St James’ Park.
The 51-year-old United legend took to social media and Scholes pulled no punches towards Carrick in an X-rated post over the Red Devils’ run of form under him.
United’s result against Newcastle was their first loss under interim boss Carrick, but Scholes was deeply critical of the Red Devils’ displays in their “last four” matches.
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Rio Ferdinand now rules out a rivalry between Man Utd legends Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes
Michael Carrick has faced criticism from several different Manchester United legends in recent weeks, including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.
However, the 44-year-old ex-Middlesbrough head coach has appeared unfazed by the criticism that he has received amid his interim reign at Old Trafford this season.
Scholes’ latest pop at Carrick in public led to speculation mounting over a hidden rivalry between the pair after the Red Devils’ Premier League defeat last Wednesday.
Speaking on his podcast, Rio Ferdinand has played down the idea that former Man Utd and England teammates Carrick and Scholes have had an ongoing rivalry.
“Yeah, that’s been the issue with people,” he said on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
“I think they’re going, ‘Well, I thought he was his teammate. I thought he’d support him a bit more. I thought, did he need to say that?
“And they’re obviously the questions people are asking and saying like, ‘Is there a little bit of beef between them?’ Listen, there’s no beef between them, too.”
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Rio Ferdinand reads between the lines of Paul Scholes’ ‘tone’ towards former Man Utd and England teammate Michael Carrick
Scholes’ comments sparked backlash from United fans and even fellow Red Devils legend Patrice Evra was deeply critical of the former England international.
Ferdinand insisted that the 51-year-old former TNT Sports pundit’s ‘tone’ for his comments is reflective of his demeanour when he was a player at the club.
“They’re two really classy guys,” he said.
“And calm and Carra’s [Carrick] has the utmost respect for Scholesy and Scholesy [is] the same.
“It’s just that I think it was just interpreted differently [than] the way Paul Scholes meant it to come across.
“Scholesy has just been honest and brutal. One thing I would say about Scholesy: he didn’t say much in the changing room, but when he did, it was normally a cutting comment.
“So, I’m not surprised with how he is as a pundit right now.”
Carrick has won six of his first eight Premier League matches as Red Devils interim boss since January after he replaced Ruben Amorim in the Old Trafford hot seat.
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