Michael Carrick has brushed off Paul Scholes' social media criticism following Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Newcastle United, insisting he was not offended. Scholes had posted on Instagram that Carrick 'has definitely got something about him...cos United have been crap last 4 games...night', prompting speculation of a rift between the former teammates.
Speaking ahead of United's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, Carrick downplayed the incident. 'There's nothing to say about it really,' he said. 'I think that's just where we are in terms of social media and things and captions and quotes and it can be taken in different ways.' He added that he was not worried and understood the real meaning behind the comments.
Scholes later clarified his remarks on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, stating he meant no offence. 'It was in no way intended to be offensive towards Michael. Michael's one of the nicest people in football, he would be the last person I want to offend,' he said. Scholes revealed he had messaged Carrick directly to clear the air, and Carrick confirmed he was not upset.
Carrick took over as interim manager in January and suffered his first defeat at St James' Park, where 10-man Newcastle scored late to secure a 2-1 victory. Despite the loss, Carrick remains calm about external opinions. 'People can have different opinions... it's just things get taken way out of one extreme to the other,' he said.
