Gary Neville and Paul Scholes disagree on Ruud van Nistelrooy as three Man United decisions praised – Manchester Evening News

Here are your Manchester United morning headlines on Saturday, September 24.

Neville and Scholes disagree on Van Nistelrooy debate

Former Manchester United duo Gary Neville and Paul Scholes admitted they disagreed over Ruud van Nistelrooy’s suitability to the club’s style of play during his time at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman, who is now in charge of Eredivisie outfit PSV Eindhoven, spent five successful years at Old Trafford, scoring a very impressive 150 goals in 219 appearances. He also helped the club win four major trophies, including one Premier League title.

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Van Nistelrooy left United back in 2006 to join Real Madrid, but established himself as a firm fans’ favourite and one of the best finishers in the club’s history. However, the curtain came down on his United career when former manager Sir Alex Ferguson chose to alter the style of play, switching to a system that focused on playing on the counter-attack.

For Neville, who played alongside Van Nistelrooy throughout his time at United, it was the correct decision by Ferguson to move to that style, opening the door on the likes of Wayne Rooney and later Carlos Tevez. While he accepted the former United manager’s thinking, however, he did enjoy playing with the Dutchman.

Read more about Neville and Scholes’ debate here.

Patrice Evra praises three decisions Erik ten Hag has made

Former teammate Patrice Evra has told Erik ten Hag he needs to have a clear-the-air conversation with Cristiano Ronaldo given the 37-year-old is clearly not a first-choice starter right now.

The superstar has started United’s past two Europa League matches by virtue of injuries to Antony Martial and Marcus Rashford, scoring his first goal of the season in last Thursday’s 2-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol. But Ronaldo has started just one Premier League game this term — the 4-0 loss to Brentford.

United club captain Harry Maguire has also been benched for every league match since that humiliating defeat. Both players have been called up to their national squads for this week’s Nations League fixtures but their futures at Old Trafford look uncertain.

Evra also pointed to the decision to swap Luke Shaw for Tyrell Malacia as a move that Ten Hag should be commended for. “He dropped the captain, he put Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, he gave the left-back Malacia an opportunity and that was a massive statement,” he said.

Read what else Evra had to say about Ten Hag here.

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