PAUL SCHOLES has upset Chelsea supporters by admitting that he’s been underwhelmed by Moises Caicedo’s performances.
The former Brighton midfielder, 23, was recently named the Blues’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season.
Caicedo started all 38 Prem games for Enzo Maresca’s side, contributing the most passes of any midfielder in the league while being the fifth top tackler.
Despite the Ecuadorian’s popularity at Stamford Bridge, Scholes is yet to be fully convinced.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, the Manchester United legend, 50, said: “I think a lot of people talk about Caicedo. ‘He’s played 38 games’. Brilliant, what an achievement.
“But was there much quality? Did he create a lot? Did he control a lot of games for Chelsea? I don’t remember that.
“I think there’s an era now, with midfielders especially, where you can go through seasons and games without really contributing.”
Scholes’ comments received little backlash from his fellow panellists during the programme.
But Blues fans online were not happy at all with the former England star’s assessment.
One blasted on X: “This is genuinely one of the worst bits of punditry I’ve ever seen. And if Paul Scholes has said this he quite simply doesn’t watch much football.
“Saying Caicedo is ‘not contributing much’ is absolutely outrageous.”
While a second fumed: “Respect to Scholesy and his career but he clearly doesn’t watch much football anymore.
“We’re talking about not only Chelsea POTY but probably the best DM in league last season.”
Referencing Scholes’ brief stint in charge of Oldham, a third wrote: “This is why he only coach a team for two weeks and got sacked the next morning since then no team wanted him in the lower division.”
Although another did add: “In the wider conversation what Scholes said made sense. Chill out.”
‘FLOGGED TO DEATH’
The ex-midfielder also called on Man Utd to stick with struggling forward Rasmus Hojlund.
Scholes said: “I’d keep Hojlund. I know he’s not been great, but he’s a 22-year-old kid who has been asked to play centre-forward for Manchester United on his own for the last two years.
“He’s had to play every week. He’s the only one there, and he’s a 22-year-old kid.
“With the way they play, Man United should have at least three top centre-forwards, and I’d bring him into that group.
“Get [Victor] Osimhen and [Viktor] Gyokeres. Hojlund has struggled – like mad of late especially but he’s not had the chance to sit down and watch.
“If a striker is lacking confidence the manager should sit him down and say, ‘Have a look, get a bit of hunger back, a bit of feeling back for the game’.
“We all know he has centre-forward qualities — we’ve seen it. Not enough, I know that. But if he had experience around him. Say he had Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke around him, it would bring him on so much. He’s been absolutely flogged to death.”
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