Man Utd sold three of the four players Paul Scholes advised the club to axe

30 April 2023 , 08:00

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Paul Scholes advised Man United to axe four players in 2019 (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United were struggling under Old Gunnar Solskjaer back in 2019 and Paul Scholes was asked for his honest opinion on four players whose contracts were close to expiration.

The players in question were Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian, and Scholes wrote the quartet off by announcing he would offer "none of them" an extension beyond their current deals.

Interestingly, he said the opposite for Paul Pogba, explaining: "I think there was a time going back a few years, when if United lost a player, no matter how big a player it was. Whether it was David Beckham, Roy Keane, or Cristiano [Ronaldo] at times. It didn't matter, it really didn't matter.

"But at this point now, if you're losing Paul Pogba. He gets some stick for his inconsistency, we know that, but he's still scored 15 goals this season. If you sell Pogba now, you're selling your best player."

That summer came and Solskjaer had a big decision to make - offer the four players new contracts or part company with them.

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The Norwegian chose to say goodbye to all but one of the group, with only Mata remaining beyond the 2019 season.

Juan Mata was the only player to avoid the cull (Getty Images)

Valencia returned to his native Ecuador and put pen to paper with Liga de Quito while Darmian swapped Man United for Parma. Herrera, meanwhile, who Scholes said he "wouldn't worry" about leaving Old Trafford, joined Paris Saint-Germain.

Mata, though, was offered a new deal until 2021 and Solskjaer explained he wanted to keep him at the club because he was a great role model to the young players.

He added: "As well as everything he brings on the pitch, we have some fantastic young players here and I know that Juan's vast experience will help them to reach their potential over the coming seasons."

In 2021, Mata was then offered another one-year extension, which he signed, and remained at Old Trafford for one final season before Erik ten Hag took the reins and the Spaniard left that summer on a free.

Interestingly, that was the same summer that Pogba left Man United after his second stint at the club.

Like Mata, Pogba walked away from the club on a free - for the second time in his career - and once again put pen to paper with the club United re-signed him from, Juventus.

Jake Polden