Scholes is confident that neither Manchester United nor Chelsea can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title against Arsenal this season, especially after Chelsea let go of their best midfielder, Enzo. Scholes believes Chelsea were too sentimental about the decision and should have blocked the transfer entirely. Manchester United, meanwhile, poses even less of a threat to Arsenal and Manchester City, with substandard defensive performance and frequent goals conceded becoming a regular occurrence. Failing to strengthen the defence is almost equivalent to directly surrendering hopes of competing for the league title this season, which shouldn't be the case for Manchester United.

Scholes said on his 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's arguably Chelsea's best midfielder, and Caicedo hasn't recovered from injury yet."

"They're now using two fullbacks as emergency midfielders. Reece James can play in midfield, but you can't expect him to get through a full 38-game season. Gusto was also deployed in midfield against Arsenal. It's clear that Caicedo's absence has had a major impact on the team, but beyond that, I think their defence still has serious problems."

"I believe Chelsea had initially promised Enzo and Manchester City that they would let him leave. But sometimes you don't have to stick to that agreement. Chelsea failed to land their target from Monaco at the last minute, and after that failed recruitment move, they should have been able to stop the Enzo transfer."

"Chelsea were too sentimental about it—they should have blocked the deal entirely. If you just look at your own team and see the midfield setup against Arsenal, you'd think: 'How good it would be if Enzo could play for us today.' Sir Alex Ferguson would never do something like this. But we still have to give Chelsea credit for honouring their commitment, which is rare in football."

Meanwhile, Scholes is optimistic that Manchester United can finish in the top four of the Premier League, but he emphasizes that Carrick's side simply doesn't have enough to threaten Arsenal and Manchester City. It remains to be seen whether the drastically overhauled midfield will be effective, and the back four hasn't undergone major surgery in years, with defensive performance consistently underwhelming over that period.

"Manchester United could make top four, but don't expect them to challenge for the title—there's no chance," Scholes said.

"It's clear their defensive standards aren't up to scratch, and goals conceded will be commonplace. In terms of transfers, the team seems to be gradually strengthening positions. Last year they sorted out the attack, and that worked very well; this year they're focusing on overhauling the midfield, but it remains to be seen if that overhaul will be effective. Players like Santos and Baldeba in the squad have potential, but we don't know how high they can develop. If both can perform, they might help the team improve defensively."

"But the back four hasn't had major surgery in years, and defensive performance has been consistently poor throughout that time. I don't see how you can expect that to improve on its own."

"I hope that next summer, hopefully with Carrick still in charge, the team will have a decent season, and then they'll build a completely new back four."

"Not strengthening the defence is almost equivalent to directly surrendering hopes of competing for the league title this season, and that shouldn't be the case for Manchester United."

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