The former Red Devils and England ace has often slammed the Special One for United’s dour performances under him at Old Trafford.
Mourinho was on the brink of being sacked as Manchester United boss, only for the Red Devils to come from behind against Newcastle before the international break to save his job.
It remains to be seen how long Mourinho has left at Old Trafford, with former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane tipped to replace him.
And while Scholes is desperate for Mourinho to turn United’s fortunes around, the England hero says the situation might be too far gone.
When asked by ESPN whether United’s stars aren’t playing for Mourinho, Scholes said: “It’s hard for me to say because I was never in a team, be it Man United or England, where I went out with the intention of getting a manager sacked. I never went out and thought ‘I’ll not try’.
“I’m not saying that any Man United player has ever done that but you hear so much stuff now that you think it could be possible.
“I’d hate that if it’s true, if any player set out to play badly on purpose. I’ve had loads of bad games, but never on purpose.
“The big thing with United is the effort and the attitude. When you looked at the West Ham game last week, it looked like the biggest sign of players not wanting to play for Jose, but I would not sack him.
“I hope the situation is retrievable. I’d like Jose to show people why he’s such a great coach because this is his biggest test in football. It’d be amazing [if he could turn it around]. Is it possible? I don’t know.
“He still is [a good manager]. Well, I think he still is, but you wonder why his side keep getting outplayed. People talk about the first 10 games of this season but last year it was the same.
“The reason we finished second last year was because of the goalkeeper. Good goalkeepers are not easy to find. [David] De Gea’s not been quite as good this season, not saving them all like did all last year.”
Mourinho has cut a frustrated figure this season after United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward refused to back his manager in the summer transfer window.
The Special One publicly revealed his desire to sign a new centre-back – despite signing Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof during his time at Old Trafford. However, Woodward wouldn’t budge.
United ended up signing Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant in the summer window.
And Scholes has defended United’s transfer chiefs, claiming Mourinho has spent plenty during his time at Old Trafford.
When asked if he knows Mourinho, Scholes added: “Not really, only from when I’ve played against him. I loved watching his interviews, his cockiness. I thought he was brilliant, but that Jose has gone.
“Now it’s just a moaning Jose, which frustrates you. He’s moaning at his players and what he hasn’t got. But look what he does have. He tells people he’s the best coach, so he should now prove that.
“It’s not like he’s been given nothing [at Man United]. He’s been given fortunes to spend and he’s bought a lot of these players. He’s bought the two centre-halves who don’t look good enough. If he doesn’t think they’re good enough, then coach them and make them better.”
Scholes also hit out at Mourinho for praising West Ham’s transfer business in signing Issa Diop.
After United’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham, Mourinho said the Hammers’ scouts got it right, hinting that his talent-spotters weren’t up to standards.
And the Red Devils hero says Mourinho was completely wrong to criticise his scouts.
“I didn’t like the manager praising West Ham’s chief scout after the defeat there and congratulating him on finding Diop. It was a massive dig at his own scouts,” he said.
“If you’re a scout at Man United, how can you know what type of player to look for when the manager is changing his team every week and his formation all the time? Where’s the blueprint for the player you want? It must be an impossible job.”
