Scholes Recommends Key Transfers for United: Romero and Wharton

Paul Scholes has never been shy of a strong opinion, and his latest verdict on Manchester United’s rebuild is as blunt as it gets: fix the defence, and do it with a statement signing.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, the former United and England midfielder argued that the club’s summer priority should be a world-class centre-back with proven pedigree at the very top level. His pick? Tottenham’s combustible but commanding defender Christian Romero.

“I think they sorted out the forward areas last summer,” Scholes said, before turning the spotlight on the back line. “But I think they probably need two centre backs. You might laugh at this and I might get stick for this, but I would go and sign Christian Romero from Tottenham.”

That is not a name you often hear linked with Old Trafford, not least because of Romero’s reputation. The Argentina international is as fiery as they come, a defender who lives on the edge and too often tumbles over it. Scholes didn’t dodge that.

“I know he’s a nutter, I know he’s got disciplinary issues,” he admitted. “But he can be a very good centre half and someone that Michael Carrick could really calm down.”

For Scholes, the upside is obvious. Romero is a World Cup winner, a centre-half who has started a World Cup final and faced the sharpest forwards on the biggest stage. That kind of experience, he believes, is exactly what United’s defence lacks.

“They’re talking about 30 or 40 million quid for a player who has been centre half in a World Cup final,” Scholes said. “I know he’s got disciplinary issues but I would go and get him. I think they’re desperate for a centre-back, the current ones aren’t good enough.”

It’s a damning verdict on the existing options, and it underlines how far Scholes feels United still are from a truly convincing defensive unit. In his eyes, the foundation stones of a title-challenging side are simply not there yet.

But his prescription doesn’t end at the back.

Scholes also wants United to be aggressive in midfield, and he has a very specific target in mind: Adam Wharton, the Crystal Palace playmaker whose stock has rocketed after a stunning season.

United, in Scholes’ view, missed their first-choice option when Sandro Tonali chose Tottenham. That blow, he argued, should have triggered a full-blooded push for Wharton.

“I can’t believe they’re not trying to buy Adam Wharton,” he said. “Sandro Tonali would have been my first-choice but with him gone now, Adam Wharton looks perfect to me.”

Wharton has quickly become one of the most coveted young midfielders in the country, a player who has already shown he can dictate games at the highest level. He recently helped Palace lift both the FA Cup and the Conference League, stepping into pressure moments with a composure that belies his age.

Scholes sees him as an ideal fit for the midfield pivot at Old Trafford: a controller, a passer, someone who can knit the game together and carry the ball through the thirds. The type of midfielder United have been accused of lacking for years.

There is a problem, though, and it is a familiar one. Palace have slapped an £85m price tag on Wharton. Any move would be ambitious, politically charged and financially heavy. But Scholes’ argument is simple: if United are serious about closing the gap, these are the levels they must be prepared to reach.

In his blueprint, then, the path is clear. Romero to bring steel and elite experience to a fragile defence. Wharton to add brains and balance to a midfield still searching for its long-term identity.

Whether United’s hierarchy shares that vision is another matter entirely.