Paul Scholes is never short of an opinion and they can be particularly punchy when he’s talking about his fellow midfield players.
Man Utd hero Scholes was regarded as one of the best in the business during his career, winning the Premier League an incredible 11 times as well as three FA Cups and the Champions League twice.
That’s the sort of record that gives a former player all the legitimacy they need to run the rule over their peers and opponents in their position.
YouTuber Andreas Poke recently asked Scholes to choose between Manchester City‘s outgoing star Kevin De Bruyne and Chelsea favourite Frank Lampard, with whom he played 15 times for England as the evergreen debate about Lampard playing with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard rumbled on to the detriment of the Man Utd man’s international career.
“Kevin De Bruyne as a midfield player,” answered Scholes.
“Look, Frank was a brilliant goalscorer but I don’t really see Frank as a midfield player, more of a number 10.
“He had licence to go there because [Claude] Makalele was behind him.
“I think De Bruyne can do everything as a midfield player, which is what a midfield player should be able to do.
Asked if he’d pick Lampard or De Bruyne if he was a manager – and he was, of course – there was no hesitation from the Red Devils legend.
“If I was a manager? I’d go for Kevin.”
Choosing De Bruyne over Lampard is by no means a controversial decision but Scholes’ assessment of Lampard’s game unsurprisingly raised a few eyebrows.
Lampard and Scholes playing against one another (Image: Getty)
There’s some logic to it. Lampard, now managing Coventry City and very much in the hunt for a play-off place with Premier League promotion up for grabs, was a tremendous goalscorer, famed for arriving in the box with impeccable timing.
He scored 177 times in the Premier League and is Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer with 211 goals in all competitions.
But he was a fine all-round midfielder too, and Blues fans on Reddit have unearthed a straightforward argument against Scholes’ proclamation.
Looking at the season heatmaps for ‘Prime De Bruyne’ and ‘Prime Lampard’, one looks rather more like a box-to-box midfielder than the other.
Scholes might be surprised to find out which is which.
Featured Image Credit: BT Sport and Getty
Topics: Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard, Kevin De Bruyne
