Scholes believes neither Manchester United nor Chelsea can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title against Arsenal this season, as they let go of their best midfielder, Enzo. Chelsea were too sentimental about it; they could have stopped the deal entirely. As for Manchester United, they are even less capable of threatening Arsenal and Manchester City; their defensive standards are not up to par, and conceding goals will be the norm. Failing to strengthen the defense is almost equivalent to directly abandoning hope of winning the league title this season, which should not be the case for Manchester United.

Scholes stated in a podcast: "I don't think Chelsea are title contenders; they still have a lot of work to do".

"Think about it, they let Enzo go to Manchester City. He was arguably Chelsea's best midfielder, and Caicedo still hasn't recovered from injury".

"Now they're using two fullbacks to fill in at midfield. Having Reece James play in midfield is acceptable, but you can't expect him to hold up for a full 38-game season. In the match against Arsenal, Gusto was also deployed in midfield. It's clear that Caicedo's absence has a big impact on the team, but beyond that, I think their defense still has many problems.

"I believe Chelsea had promised Enzo and Manchester City that they would let him transfer. But sometimes you don't have to stick to that agreement. Chelsea failed to sign their desired target from Monaco at the last minute, and after that acquisition fell through, they could have stopped Enzo's transfer.

"Chelsea were too sentimental about this; they could have stopped the deal entirely. If you just look at your own team, consider the midfield setup against Arsenal, and you'd definitely think: 'How good it would be if Enzo could play for us today'. Sir Alex Ferguson would never do such a thing. But we should credit Chelsea for keeping their word; such situations are rare in football".

Meanwhile, Scholes is optimistic that Manchester United can finish in the top four of the Premier League, but emphasized that this team under Carrick is not strong enough to threaten Arsenal and Manchester City. It remains to be seen whether the significantly revamped midfield will be effective, and the back four has not undergone a major overhaul in many years, with consistently poor defensive performances throughout that period.

"Manchester United can sneak into the top four, but don't expect them to compete for the title; there's no chance," Scholes said.

"It's clear that their defensive standards are not up to par, and conceding goals will be the norm. As for their signings, the team seems to be strengthening position by position. Last year, they sorted out the attack, and it worked very well; this year, they're focusing on revamping the midfield, but it remains to be seen whether this overhaul will be effective. Players like Santos and Baleba on the team have potential, but we don't know how far they can go. If these two can perform well, perhaps they can help the team improve its defense.

"But the back four has not undergone a major overhaul in many years, and defensive performances have been consistently poor throughout that period. I don't know how we can expect that to improve on its own.

"I hope that next summer, Carrick remains in charge, and the team can have a decent season, at which point they will build a new back four.

"That is almost equivalent to directly abandoning hope of winning the league title this season, and that should not be the case for Manchester United".

Traducido por IA.

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