The former Manchester United star rates Arsenal and England midfielder Declan Rice, but he also made a controversial call on his standing with the Premier League.
Paul Scholes has reiterated that Declan Rice is not his type of midfielder – in response to criticism for not naming the Arsenal player as one of the best in the Premier League.
Scholes made those familiar remarks while appearing as a guest on episode 100 of The Overlap’s popular Stick to Football Podcast: “I get slagged off for this, but I did a top five the other week, and because I don’t put people like [Moises] Caicedo and Declan Rice, because I like a different type of midfielder.
“I like a Vitinha at PSG, I think he’s brilliant – he’s amazing. I thought [Alexis] Mac Allister last year, at Liverpool, was brilliant; now he’s not started great this year.
“But I like that more, not so much attacking midfielder, but maybe that more controlling one who can do a bit of everything, not just the defensive one who just gets around it and might score the odd goal here and there, I like the more progressive type.”
The player-turned-pundit then answered who would be his starting midfield for England. “[Jude] Bellingham has to be in there just because of his goals, ain’t he? Not just for his goals, he’s a good player,” Scholes said.
“I’m trying to think of a midfield player, but my mind’s gone blank. I know there’s Declan Rice, and people say; ‘You didn’t have Declan Rice in your top-five’, because he’s not my type of midfield player.”
Scholes alludes to when he said Sandro Tonali is better than Rice on The Overlap Fan Debate earlier this month. “I think he’s better than Rice,” Scholes said of the Newcastle United midfielder. “I really like Rice, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s got everything.
“Sometimes he takes a few too many touches of the ball and tries to look a bit more stylish than necessary. He can do everything, but I don’t think he does it enough. I prefer Tonali, but they’re both good players.”
Scholes also said on Stick to Football: “I don’t think we have that type of controlling midfield player now that can do a bit of everything. We haven’t got a Vitinha, we haven’t got a Toni Kroos or a [Luka] Modric from them days, I just don’t think we have that.
“A while ago, Jack Wilshere was probably the closest to being that type – but, obviously, a load of injuries and stuff stopped him. I just don’t think we’ve got that type, who has that game intelligence, of when to slow it down, when to fizz it into a centre-forward, I just don’t think there’s that intelligence around.”
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