Paul Scholes urges Manchester United to sign £42.5m Tottenham star

Paul Scholes has explained why he would ‘love’ Manchester United to sign Tottenham defender Cristian Romero.

Romero, 27, was sent off in Spurs’ 2-0 defeat to United on Saturday, a result that leaves Thomas Frank’s side 15th in the Premier League.

The Tottenham captain was accused of letting his teammates down after he was shown a red card for a high and late tackle on United midfielder Casemiro.

Romero’s second red card of the season means he will miss Tottenham’s next four games, including the north London derby against Arsenal.

The Old Trafford red came just days after Romero was critical of the Spurs board, claiming it was ‘disgraceful’ that the club had just 11 senior players available for the 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

Scholes believes Romero is ‘p****d off’ at Tottenham and has mentally ‘checked out’ as he ‘doesn’t want to be there’ anymore.

Romero attracted widespread criticism following his red card against United but Scholes has revealed he ‘loves’ the Argentina international and wishes he played for the Red Devils.

‘Do you know what? I love him,’ Scholes said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast. ‘I love watching him play football.

‘He’s pissed off at Spurs, isn’t he? He doesn’t want to be there. He’s having a go at the crowd, he’s having a go at the board, I think his head has checked out a little bit.

‘But I would love him at Manchester United. I just love his character.’

Romero has made over 150 appearances for Tottenham following his £42.5m move from Atalanta in 2022, helping the north London club win the Europa League last season.

Speaking after Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester United, under-pressure Spurs boss Frank insisted Romero is a ‘leader’ in his dressing room but must learn to control his aggression.

‘For me, I think he is a leader,’ said Frank. ‘He is a young leader and he’s learning every day.

‘I’ve said I used the example when I was 30 years old. I thought I was on top of the world, but I was no way near the level I am today in terms of leadership and understanding things.

‘And then when you have a player that’s playing with so much passion and aggression, things like that can happen.

‘That’s not to say he shouldn’t learn from it, of course he needs learn from it, going forward.’

Frank, who left Brentford to take charge of Tottenham last summer, also confirmed he was not considering stripping Romero of the Spurs captaincy.

Spurs have gone seven Premier League games without a win ahead of their clash with Newcastle United on Tuesday, but Scholes’ former teammate Wayne Rooney hopes the club stick by Frank.

‘I feel for Frank because he looks tired – he looks like he’s aged 10 years,’ Rooney said on his BBC podcast. ‘That’s what that Tottenham job has done to him in a short period of time.

‘I hope they stick with him because he’s fantastic manager, but it’s going be very difficult for them to do that.’

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