Man Utd legend Paul Scholes sets record straight on Michael Carrick comments

The former United midfielder posted on social media following the club's 2-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle last week, writing that Carrick "has definitely got something special about him" because United had been poor in their previous four games but were still picking up results.

The comment drew criticism online and from some former players, including Patrice Evra, who questioned the negativity from television pundits.

Speaking on the The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes insisted the message had been misunderstood and said he reached out to Carrick immediately after the reaction to his post.

"Michael is one of the nicest people you will ever meet in football - he'd be the last person I would want to offend," Scholes said. "I messaged Michael straight away and said, 'Look, I never intended to upset you.' He told me himself he wasn't upset by it."

Scholes explained that his comment was meant to highlight Carrick's ability to keep delivering results even when the team had not been performing at their best.

"I think people just took it differently from what was meant," he said. "The only thing I was saying was that I didn't think they had played that well in the last four games, and he's still managing to get results."

Carrick took charge after the departure of Ruben Amorim and made a strong start, overseeing victories against sides such as Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham.

Although the loss at Newcastle was the first under his leadership, United remain third in the Premier League and are well placed in the race for qualification to the UEFA Champions League.

Scholes added that the point he was trying to make was similar to something his former manager Alex Ferguson often said during his time at Old Trafford - that successful teams sometimes require a slice of fortune.

"Sometimes you need a bit of luck with sending-offs or moments that happen in games," Scholes said. "That's all I was saying."

Former United defender Wes Brown, who joined Scholes on the podcast, said he could understand both interpretations of the post, admitting that when he first read it he thought it might sound critical, even though Scholes had meant it as praise for Carrick's ability to keep winning.