Paul Scholes criticizes Manchester United's David de Gea for his performance against RB Leipzig

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has hit out at David de Gea for his "criminal" error during his side's 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Manchester United needed to secure a draw against their German opposition to seal qualification to the Round of 16 in the elite European competition.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men, however, conceded two early goals which left them on the backfoot. They failed to recover and let in a third goal in the second half, for which goalkeeper David de Gea was at fault. The Spaniard appeared to turn his back to play, allowing Justin Kluivert an easy finish.

Manchester United were unable to recover from the early setbacks and eventually succumbed to defeat, despite a late fightback which saw Bruno Fernandes score a penalty and Paul Pogba slot in a header.

Paul Scholes was less than impressed with David De Gea #MUFC https://t.co/1zgcDv2QW5

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) December 8, 2020

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes labels David de Gea's error as 'criminal'

David de Gea's error led to RB Leipzig's third goal against Manchester United

Paul Scholes was highly critical of David de Gea's performance and believed the goalkeeper's error sealed the club's fate.

Scholes told BT Sport after the game:

"David de Gea here, he bottles it. He's scared of getting himself hurt. It should never go across the box like that ever. Harry Magurie looks wooder, he's very stiff. De Gea, as a goalkeeper, come out, make yourself as big as you can, you might get smashed in the face, but he turns hi back away."

He added:

"He actually makes himself smaller. It's criminal for such an experienced goalkeeper. It's criminal."

David de Gea has been at the center of criticism in recent months after a string of uncharacteristic errors. Many fans and pundits believe that his time at Manchester United could be coming to an end, and the club should drop him in favor of rising star Dean Henderson.

"He bottled it. He was scared of getting himself hurt.""He makes himself smaller, it's criminal."Paul Scholes was not impressed with David De Gea's goalkeeping for RB Leipzig's third goal. pic.twitter.com/Iyd7GKZlBr

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 8, 2020

Manchester United's latest defeat has piled the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Red Devils were in pole position to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League after winning their opening two games against PSG and RB Leipzig.

Three losses in their last four Champions League has seen the club crash out of competition, and they must now prepare themselves for a potentially gruelling Europa League campaign.