- Paul Scholes was asked to rank Manchester United’s best midfielders
- He did not choose his former captain Roy Keane as the club’s best midfielder
- Scholes also chose Kobbie Mainoo over a teammate from the class of ’92
Paul Scholes has ranked Manchester United’s best midfielders, but he hasn’t put the club’s iconic former captain Roy Keane in the top spot.
Scholes and Keane played together at Old Trafford for a decade as United dominated English football in the 1990s and early 2000s.
They formed a strong duo, with the team often dominating the midfield, but Scholes still doesn’t believe the Irishman is the best midfielder United have ever had.
In taking on the challenge of ranking United’s current and former midfielders, Scholes was given the choice between Keane and Bryan Robson.
Scholes paused and took a deep breath before replying: ‘Bryan Robson. He’s my hero, Bryan Robson.’
Paul Scholes has ranked Manchester United’s best midfielders
Scholes did not put his former captain Roy Keane at the top of the list
Scholes ranked Bryan Robson above Keane and praised the former England player as his ‘hero’
Scholes called Robson United’s best player, but he had previously been asked to pass judgement on a number of other players.
He proved his loyalty to his Class of ’92 team-mate Nicky Butt by choosing the former England international over himself, World Cup winner Nobby Stiles, Michael Carrick, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Darren Fletcher.
But when Scholes had to choose between Butt and current United star Kobbie Mainoo, he immediately chose Mainoo.
Mainoo enjoyed a breakthrough season at Old Trafford last season and went on to play a key role for England in the final of Euro 2024 last month.
Scholes was loyal to his teammate from the class of ’92, Nicky Butt (left), even placing Butt above himself
Yet somewhat surprisingly he chose Kobbie Mainoo over Butt in his final ranking
Still, it is somewhat surprising that Scholes opted for a player still in the early stages of his career rather than Butt.
Scholes preferred Keane to Mainoo, subsequently placing his former captain ahead of Paul Ince and Juan Sebastian Veron, but ultimately preferred Robson.