Paul Scholes appears to delete controversial anti-Michael Carrick Instagram story that ridiculed 'special' Man Utd interim boss after Newcastle defeat

The harmony at Old Trafford suffered its first major setback of the Carrick era following a late collapse at St James' Park. A 90th-minute strike from William Osula condemned United to a 2-1 defeat, snapping Carrick’s impressive unbeaten streak. In the immediate aftermath, Paul Scholes took to Instagram to post a biting message on Instagram: "Michael has definitely got something special about him… cos Utd have been crap last 4 games… night," with the story update accompanied by a kissing emoji. The post, which also featured a heart emoji for Newcastle's Sandro Tonali, was seemingly deleted but not before it was captured by supporters.

Fan reaction on X has been polarized, with some branding Scholes "bitter" for undermining a former team-mate during a transition period. However, others echoed similar concerns, noting that United struggled to break down 10-man Newcastle, furthering the argument that Carrick may lack the tactical depth needed when his gameplan fails.

While Scholes has previously acknowledged that Carrick is doing a great job for Man Utd in the short time, the club's legendary former midfielder believes they need a role model similar to the great motivators in football history.

"Michael Carrick is doing great, it’s unbelievable the change," Scholes previously stated on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast. "If you put yourself in the owner’s shoes, he’s putting real pressure on them to get the job. The people making that decision might have to think about it a little bit differently because I don’t think you need the most technical or talented coach. You’re at a big club with good players who know what they’re doing, maybe they need a man-manager more than anything.

"If you look back to Sir Alex [Ferguson] he was never a coach really but he knew the players, he knew what the players needed and how to treat players to get the best out of them. If you look at Real Madrid with Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, I don’t think they’re the most technical or tactical coaches but they’re good man-managers.

"Ruben Amorim seemed obsessed with tactics and it didn’t work, Xabi Alonso seemed the same at Real Madrid. Do those type of big clubs need those coaches or a more man-manager?

“I don’t know what Michael’s coaching style is like but I can imagine as a man-manager he’s very good because he’s brilliant with people and players. The question over Michael is does he have the experience? I know he’s managed in the Championship but this is obviously different. Can we see Carrick winning United the Premier League? Look, we don’t know yet."

The interim boss now faces his first true period of adversity, as pointed out by Scholes. With the honeymoon period officially over, Carrick must prove he can lift a potentially demoralised squad and find tactical solutions that go beyond simple man-management. The Red Devils will now prepare for a crucial match against Aston Villa on March 15. Both teams have collected 51 points from 29 Premier League matches, and both need a win to strengthen their grip on a place in the top four and guaranteed Champions League qualification.