Schole, a United legend, said De Gea “bottled it” against RB Leipzig, adding that the Spaniard was “scared of getting hurt”.
Ole Gunner Solksjaer men were dumped out of the Champions League after being beaten 3-2 by RB Leipzig.
United only needed a draw to secure safe passage through to the round of 16 but made the worst possible start when Leipzig’s Angelino capitalised on some terrible defending from the Premier League side to fire home the opening goal of the game with just two minutes on the clock.
Amadou Haidara volleyed past De Gea for the second and the English side were caught again midway through the second half, with Harry Maguire and De Gea both arguably at fault as Justin Kluivert stole in to chip the ball into the net.
Scholes accused De Gea of failing to put his body on the line when his team needed him most.
“He bottles it, doesn’t he?” Scholes told BT Sport post-match.
“Basically, he’s scared of getting himself hurt. It should never go across the box.
“Maguire looks wooden, stiff but De Gea as a goalkeeper has to come out and make himself as big as he can.
“Yes, you might get injured but he turns his back away. It’s criminal.”
