Jose Mourinho has to be given time to overhaul Manchester United's underperforming squad and build a side capable of challenging for top honours, according to Paul Scholes.
Former United player Scholes believes that the club's current problems, compounded by a 2-1 Europa League defeat against Fenerbahce, are not the fault of Mourinho and urged that the former Chelsea manager is backed to turn things around at Old Trafford.
"It's been quite a painful three years," Scholes said on BT Sport. "And I think the next 18 months to two years could be very similar until this manager has three or four transfer windows to really get a team that he wants.
"I think this team in two years will be unrecognisable from what it is now. But, whatever we can do in this two years has to be a bonus. Whether they can win the League Cup whether they can win the FA Cup.
"Can they win this competition [the Europa League]? It doesn't look like it. And it has shown in the last three years that they are not capable of winning the league with this squad.
"There's three or four better teams in the Premier League. We know this team at this moment in time isn't capable of challenging for the league."
This is Paul Scholes' team sheet from tonight's Man Utd game. Fascinating...what tells you he was getting slightly frustrated... pic.twitter.com/M2Qg1Et40O
- Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) November 3, 2016
When asked if they could challenge for the top four, Scholes said: "Just about, yeah. I think they're challenging for fourth.
"At this time now you have to say that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, [Manchester] City definitely look better teams. I know things can change during the season, you have to hope that it does for them to have a hope of finishing top four.
"But like I say whatever United do in the next 18 months is a bonus. I think this team will be unrecognisable in 18 months or two years."
Scholes was unimpressed with United's performance as they lost in Istanbul and warned that similar could follow when they take on Swansea in the Premier League at the weekend.
"United have two big problems at the minute," he added. "They're really struggling to score goals and to win games of football with Blind and Rojo at centre-half they almost need to score three goals because they look like they're going to give goals away all the time.
"They don't sense danger, they've got no pace, they don't get physical against people. And it's a worry because at the other end they really don't look like scoring goals.
"I know Mourinho doesn't have much choice at the minute with centre-halves because of the injuries he's got but you have to feel that going into Sunday [against Swansea], United will have to score three goals to win the game."