'Scholes should be Man Utd director of football & sell Pogba!' - Raiola in extraordinary dig at ex-midfielder

Mino Raiola has launched a stinging attack on Paul Scholes, insisting he should become the new director of football at Manchester United so that he can advise Ed Woodward to sell Paul Pogba.

He also claimed that the 43-year-old would not recognise a leader if he was stood in front of Winston Churchill, and that he would have "sleepless nights" trying to find a new club for the player.

The Frenchman has been the focus of fierce criticism from former Old Trafford greats since his €105 million (£89m) return from Juventus in 2016, with Scholes at the forefront of the argument.

Scholes came under fire from United boss Jose Mourinho last season following an attack on Pogba, with the Portuguese saying : "I think the only thing Paul Scholes does is to criticise. I don't think he comments."

The former Reds and England midfielder continued his comments, however, branding Pogba's performance as "disrespectful" following the club's 1-0 home defeat to West Brom at the sharp end last season's title challenge.

Then, despite Pogba leading the France national team to the World Cup trophy in Russia in the summer, Scholes called for Pogba to "use his brain more" and claimed that he "only performs well once every four games".

Scholes' latest comments come after United's 3-2 loss at Brighton on Sunday, with the player-turned-pundit questioning the leadership ability of stand-in captain Pogba, who temporarily holds the armband for permanent skipper Antonio Valencia.

“There's a lack of leaders in the team, that's why we thought Paul Pogba might be the ideal candidate to be that leader but he wasn't there," Scholes said. “He had another really poor game. He's so inconsistent.”

These specific comments have led to Raiola, Pogba's agent, to hit back at the former United midfielder on social media, suggesting he could easily find the Frenchman a new club.

"Some people need to talk for fear of being forgotten," he said on Twitter. "Paul Scholes wouldn't recognize a leader if he was in front of Sir Winston Churchill.

"Paul Scholes should become sports director and advise Woodward to sell Pogba. Would be sleepless nights to find Pogba a new club."

United's defeat at Brighton was the second time in three months , having been beaten 1-0 at the American Express Community Stadium in May.

The Sussex club have proved somewhat of a bogey side for Mourinho; since taking charge of United at the start of the 2016-17 season, the only opponent he has lost against more often than Brighton (2) is his former club Chelsea (4).