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'Mata looked like a 10-year-old against Liverpool'

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes Louis van Gaal lacks leaders and has questioned the decision to make the Spaniard captain.

PAUL SCHOLES HAS blasted Louis van Gaal’s decision to make Juan Mata captain and believes the midfielder ‘looked like a 10-year-old’ during Manchester United’s defeat to Liverpool.

United’s hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League took another blow following the 2-0 loss in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

And Scholes, who won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during his time at Old Trafford, believes Van Gaal’s team lacks genuine leadership on the pitch.

“How is Juan Mata captain?” Scholes told the Daily Mail. “He’s a good player and he’s had a good month. But to be captain of Manchester United?

“I don’t think there are many real leaders in there. Chris Smalling? The goalkeeper? They, possibly, could be captain but are they real Manchester United captains?

“They need to get the players into the game. [Anthony] Martial and Mata were ineffective here. They got bullied. Mata looked like a 10-year-old at times.

“Memphis? You just don’t know what you are going to get from him.

“But you need to get the ball to these players to see what they can do. They will have more time to do that at Old Trafford.”

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