Scholes Accuses Tuchel of Engineering Exit, Insists England Have Superior Talent to Spain

Paul Scholes has launched a double-barrelled critique of both Thomas Tuchel's England tenure and the squad's mentality, suggesting the manager is actively looking to depart and branding his players individually gifted but collectively dysfunctional.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Football, the Manchester United legend appeared convinced that Tuchel's recent comments signal a desire to escape the Three Lions post following their World Cup exit. "It seems to indicate that he does want to leave from the stuff he was saying because it was quite hard to come back from that and I didn't realise until yesterday when I heard someone talking about it, how much he fell out with people at the football clubs he's been at," Scholes explained.

The pattern, according to Scholes, is unmistakable. His managerial stints at PSG, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich have all ended with fractious departures. "You think about it, he's not been at clubs for very long, has he?" Scholes asked. "He falls out with people and maybe he's just engineering his way out."

On the pitch, England's semi-final defeat to Argentina and subsequent third-place finish against France—a 6-4 victory—have done little to convince Scholes that the squad operates as a cohesive unit. Yet he remains bullish about the raw talent on display.

"I think we've got better players now, it might sound f***ing stupid that, but I think we've got better players individually, individually," Scholes insisted, drawing a direct comparison with World Cup winners Spain, whose triumph came courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Argentina. Despite Spain's superior collective performance under Luis de la Fuente, Scholes maintains England's personnel outstrip their rivals.

The real problem, he argues, cuts deeper than mere tactical failings. "It's not a team. Do you know what I mean? I don't feel like everybody's too concerned about their own performance. I think we've got some brilliantly talented footballers but very selfish."

Nicky Butt echoed concerns about the management structure, dismissing suggestions that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could replace Tuchel. "I don't see him as an England manager," Butt stated flatly, with Scholes agreeing: "I don't think anybody sees it."

Butt pressed further, arguing England should pursue the finest available talent. "No disrespect to Ole. Ole's not in that league, so England should be going for the best available manager. And they should do that now as well in my opinion. I don't think (Tuchel) is the right one for the country now."