Paul Scholes suggests the £40m defender Man United should sign to take the team to the next level
Paul Scholes made a surprising choice when he named the “nutcase” defender he thinks can help Manchester United reach the next level under Michael Carrick. He also shared which Premier League midfielder he really likes.
The 2026/27 Premier League season is almost here, and Manchester United is one of nine clubs starting with a new boss after Carrick was made permanent manager. Carrick took over as interim coach last season after Ruben Amorim was let go and helped United finish third, securing a spot in the Champions League.
This means United will play at least eight more games this season, even before counting any knockout matches in Europe’s top competition. Last season, they were knocked out early from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, only playing 40 games—the fewest since 1914-15.
The upcoming season brings new challenges. Some of the players signed in 2025, like Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Senne Lammens, will be building on strong first seasons. Plus, new midfielders Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, coming from Aston Villa and Chelsea, will be looking to make a big impact.
In an exclusive chat with SPORTbible to kick off the new season of The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes said United really need to sign a top central defender to support Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire.
“I think centre-half is probably the biggest area that needs attention,” Scholes said. “You want centre-halves who are reliable and can play most games. Maguire isn’t always fit, and Martinez gets injured a lot. They have a young player, Ayden Heaven, who looks promising but is still learning and will make mistakes. If United want to challenge at the top, they need to strengthen here.”
But Scholes surprised everyone by naming a defender many wouldn’t expect. “This might make you laugh,” he said. “Manchester United should sign Cristian Romero from Tottenham. He’s a bit of a nutcase. He’s a great defender but sometimes does silly things. He’s kind of a clown, but I like him. Maybe someone calm like Michael Carrick could help him settle down. I think fans at Old Trafford would love him.”
Scholes added, “He’s won the Europa League with Spurs, the World Cup, and two Copa Americas. There’s definitely something special about him… and he wouldn’t be too expensive, around £30-40 million.”
Romero has been linked with moves to Inter and Atletico Madrid, and there’ve even been rumors about Arsenal, but nothing’s confirmed yet.
Scholes also said he’s a big fan of Sandro Tonali but knows the midfielder’s now at Spurs after signing for £100 million. He also praised Crystal Palace and England midfielder Adam Wharton, saying he’d be a great signing for United.
With the transfer window open until September 1, there’s still time for United to make more moves. Scholes’ former teammate and podcast co-host Nicky Butt thinks bringing in another striker to support Sesko would be smart.
Both Scholes and Butt agree it’s important for United to stay in the Champions League for many reasons. Butt said it might take another three or four transfer windows before United can seriously challenge for the Premier League title.
“Michael has to do better than he did last year,” Butt said. “The club has to be in the Champions League for all kinds of reasons. If they can maintain that and support Michael in the transfer windows, maybe in three or four windows they can challenge for the league. Right now, we’re not there yet.”
Scholes added, “Success would mean finishing top three and winning the FA Cup.”
United’s first Premier League game this season is away at Hull on August 23.
Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt shared these thoughts exclusively with SPORTbible for the new season of The Good, The Bad & The Football. You can watch or listen to the full episode now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.