It feels like the glory days at Old Trafford

It’s not like Manchester haven’t tried everything to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson’s glory days. Managers have come and gone, money was spent on new players, but the title hasn’t been won since the departure of the legendary Scotsman in 2013. But every now and again, the Red Devils summon that old magic and energy and dish out a performance that brings memories of the time when United ruled the world.

Europa League semi-final drubbing of Roma on Thursday night reminded everyone of just how powerful United can be. One man who knows everything about the club’s glory is Paul Scholes, the midfielder who made Fergie’s teams click for over a decade. And it’s Scholes who has backed the manager and his old teammate Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer to take the club forward.

"Manchester United are getting on the right track now. I think and hope so. Ole has done a fantastic job getting the club almost back to challenging for silverware – they're here at a semi-final and need to go one further."

Paul Scholes and Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer in their playing days (©AFP)

However, in order for the club to make real progress, the owners and the people who make big decisions need to be committed to the club and have a genuine understanding of football. Sadly for the club – the American owners and the people they put in charge behind the scenes are not good enough, says Scholes.

"It comes down to billionaire owners who are greedy and just use this club as a toy to make money. I’m not sure there ever will be a connection with these owners. As long as there are billionaire owners from another country, I don't think there will be a connection and we have to stop pining for that. Look at the club, the resources they've had and they haven't won a trophy for four years. It's ridiculous. I don't think Ed Woodward is a football man - we've had five or six years of choosing the wrong managers, the wrong type of players for this football club and it is all down to the ownership."

Manchester United destroy Roma in an amazing second half

The fans wouldn’t really care about who the owners are nor they would need to feel a connection to them if the owners could only make a few wise decisions and recruit the people who would make the team improve. Ed Woodward has underperformed in his role of recruiting managers and players, much to the dismay of Scholes.

"This club should have the very best of everything. Directors of football – have they got the best of the best? They invented the role of football director. What is that? Is he signing new players for us, ordering new footballs? If they want a director of football, get the very best out there. They probably don't have the best manager out there but he's on the way. The most important thing for the fans is what happens on the pitch. When the football is alright and the team is winning trophies, who cares who the owners are?"

Sir Alex Ferguson and Paul Scholes (©AFP)

It all comes down to results on the pitch. The way United hammered Roma would have delighted the Red Devils supporters – Scholes included. To really return to the heights of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, many things would need to improve at Old Trafford. But for a few days at least – it will feel like the good old days.