Paul Scholes Criticises Louis van Gaal's Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has admitted he would not like to play in Louis van Gaal's current Red Devils team and has criticised the Dutchman for his negative tactics.  

The former Old Trafford midfielder also defended under-pressure striker Wayne Rooney for his poor performances of late, putting the blame on Van Gaal's setup, which Scholes does not feel is conducive to attacking play.

Despite a decent start to the season, which currently sees United sitting fourth in the Premier League, Scholes is not impressed with the Manchester outfit's current style of play, per BBC Radio Manchester (via the MailOnline's Mike Keegan):

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The style is not something that Sir Alex Ferguson would have adhered to. I actually think the team is brilliantly coached to defend. I think the hardest thing to do is to coach scoring goals, creativity and to have players who are off the cuff. It's a team you wouldn't want to play against and it's probably a team you wouldn't want to play in either. There's a lack of risk and creativity. It seems he doesn't want players to beat men and score goals—it's not a team I would have enjoyed playing in.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole couldn't play in this team. You don't get crosses in the box, midfielders looking for runs. I think it's a very difficult team to be a centre forward in.

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Certainly, Van Gaal's side is a far cry from the swashbuckling teams Ferguson used to field on a regular basis.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Under the Scotsman, United were a devastating attacking force, while under Van Gaal, they are much more of a possession-based team.

Van Gaal was brought in to clear up the mess after David Moyes had been relieved of his managerial duties.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss succeeded, to an extent, in his debut season, returning United to the Premier League's top four—and, thus, the Champions League—in 2014-15.

However, the Red Devils do not look to have kicked on massively in terms of quality this season, despite plenty of activity in the transfer window.

While they are more solid in defence, goalless draws this season against the likes of Newcastle United and Middlesbrough have left some questioning how much progress has been made elsewhere, per ESPN.com's Alex Shaw:

Scholes is clearly of the opinion the attacking intent—and much of the entertainment—has disappeared from United's game.

The 40-year-old was also critical of the youth setup at a number of English clubs, picking out Arsenal and Chelsea as the major culprits in stunting the growth of local players, per BBC Radio Manchester (via the MailOnline's Keegan):

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You look at Under 16s, Under 17s and it's absolutely riddled with foreign players. What chance does that give to young English players? It gives them virtually no chance. You look at Chelsea and Arsenal's youth teams and you do well to spot an English player. It's really sad. There are hardly any players to play for us. It's nowhere near what it should be and you can see why we struggle.

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He undoubtedly has a point. As Sam Wallace of the Daily Telegraph noted ahead of last weekend's Manchester derby, there is now a remarkable absence of local or academy players on show, even in the Premier League's most partisan local clashes.

England have not reached the last four of a major finals since Euro 1996, and the rise of the Premier League—and its attractiveness to foreign players—is unquestionably a major factor, as there is little room left for local players to break through from the academies.