Corporate 'Greed' has taken over 'English Premier League'

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Paul Scholes blasts top-flight quality - - (September 6th 2016)

Former England midfielder Paul Scholes claims many Premier League clubs are so obsessed with making money they are sacrificing the quality of football being played on the pitch.

The 41-year-old is a co-owner of Salford City and said he would rather watch his National League North side than the English top flight.

In an extract published by the Guardian from new book Class of 92: Out of our League, former Manchester United player Scholes said: "I don't find elite football as interesting to watch any more, especially in England.

"There needs to be a real step up in quality in England. Other than Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, we don't have the best players.

"I probably do enjoy watching Salford more. I don't know if it's as much that I don't like the hassle of going to the game, getting in, sitting in traffic. Going to Salford, I park up behind the goal and get out of my car. But I genuinely get more enjoyment from watching even my son's team, Royter Town. It's just entertainment."

Scholes wrote the new book alongside his old United team-mates Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, who are also co-owners of Salford. The five of them featured in Sir Alex Ferguson's famed Class of 92 alongside former England captain David Beckham.

Scholes believes the decline he senses in attractive football in England comes down to the pressures on managers to get results.

He added: "If you lose three or four games on the trot obviously you're under big pressure and you're sacked. The money's the most important thing these days about football because owners, the majority of them, are just interested in making money for their football club.

"They don't care what they see on a Saturday afternoon on the pitch. They're purely businessmen, whereas at Barcelona you have a balance between business and football."

Scholes said Spain's LaLiga is "the best by far" when it comes to success in Europe, and praised the idea of fan ownership, with the large memberships of clubs in Spain wielding heavy influence.

He added: "So they want to make it pay, but making as much money as they can isn't the primary objective. It's entertainment. Winning the Champions League, winning the best prizes. That's why they have the best players."