Indie:
‘He is the antithesis of a superstar, whose idea of a perfect day, recounted at Euro 2004, went: train, pick up kids from school, play with kids, put kids to bed, watch television. Doing just that while England were away, rather than sitting around in hotels in Vienna or Katowice, does not appear to have convinced him he did the wrong thing in turning his back on the team. "Up to now I've had no regrets whatsoever," he said. "Sven spoke to me and said the door's always open if I want to come back and I'm grateful for that, but I'm not sure that I will. The way I'm feeling now it hasn't really entered my thoughts."
‘An occasional sufferer from asthma and heatstroke, he has never greatly enjoyed summer tournaments and never been seen at his best in one. Before last season's FA Cup final, he admitted that failing to score for England in an extraordinary run that eventually reached 29 games before ending with an equaliser against Croatia in the Stadium of Light was playing on his mind.
‘Last week he added: "Part of the reason I did it [resign from England duty] was to prolong playing for United as long as I can. I know there's no guarantee that will happen, but I'm hopeful it will do. Maybe not scoring for so long played a tiny part but it wasn't one particular thing, not family or football, but all the things put together." And he did watch England play Poland ("A really tough game they did really well to win"); presumably because it was unthinkable to be out on a Wednesday night.
‘Unthinkable, too, that the unwanted tag "veteran" might soon be attached to any of United's clean-cut class of '91. Yet in less than two months' time Scholes turns 30, just ahead of Nicky Butt (January), Gary Neville (February) and David Beckham (May). Like them, he has run up some impressive statistics and is keen for more, starting with Fenerbahce's visit to Old Trafford for a Champions' League game on Tuesday.
‘If he recovers from injury, it will be his 81st European game for the club, still behind the record-holder, Ryan Giggs (92), but closing in on the injured Neville's 91 and Beckham's 83. One of his earliest appearances was in October 1996, when Tuesday's opponents became the first of 57 visiting sides to win a European tie at Old Trafford. Having already taken the points in Istanbul, United were not prevented from qualifying and went on to reach the semi-final, but a similar result could have alarming consequences.
‘Fenerbahce may discover that, as Scholes and friends attempt to smooth out a stuttering start to their season. "There have been a lot of injuries and we knew that it was going to be a tough couple of months," Scholes said. "You just concentrate on playing and trying to win games. We have not won a lot of matches, but have not lost a lot either, so hopefully we can build some momentum up."
‘The man of few words has spoken. It is time to translate them into action.’
Times:
‘Paul Scholes is one of six Manchester United players who will be given a sponsored car under the club’s new deal with Audi. The manufacturer has offered him a £76,000 six-litre executive saloon or a 175mph bi-turbo sports model that retails at just under £67,000. He is not going to find the selection process easy. Scholes has always seemed more of a Ford Cortina man.
‘It is 10 years this weekend since this copper-topped, diamond-encrusted football talent made his Premiership debut (he scored both of United’s goals in a 3-2 defeat by Ipswich), but whether we know any more about him now than we did at first glance is questionable. His decision to retire from the international game last month, aged just 29, saw football’ s quietest superstar turn the volume down even further on his career.
‘When Scholes’s retirement was announced, through a short, bald statement on the Manchester United website, the reasons given were family ones. He wanted to spend more time with his wife, Claire, and their children, Arron and Alicia, and to be around for the arrival of their new baby, due soon. All true. But that is only half the story.
‘Scholes thought that with his 30th birthday approaching in November, and with nearly 500 senior games for club and country behind him, it was time to ration his energies. “Part of the reason I retired was to prolong playing for United as long as I can. I know there are no guarantees that will happen, but I remain hopeful. In this team, your place is always under threat because of the quality of the players, so you’ve got to be playing well all the time. If you’re not playing well, you’re not going to be in, and this summer we’ve signed some really good players.”
‘Scholes’s passport cannot be locked away just yet, however. There is still the Champions League, and United are looking for a longer run in the competition than they had last season, when Porto eliminated them. Their draw in Lyon has them well placed to progress past the group stage, though it required a half-time gust from Sir Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer to keep them on course in that game. On Tuesday, United host Fenerbahce, who on an infamous evening in October 1996, ended the club’s 40-year unbeaten home record in Europe.
‘Wayne Rooney will make his debut against the Turks. It was Rooney who created that last England goal for Scholes. Their mutual quick thinking and love of the short pass auger well for United. Ferguson believes they will link fruitfully, and in the first half of last week’s victory over Liverpool, Scholes was prominent as his team rediscovered an attacking tempo that fans were beginning to fear had been lost.
‘As passes zinged from Roy Keane to Scholes and onward to Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs or Ruud van Nistelrooy, it was easy to imagine Rooney joining in. “It’s great that Wayne’s signed,” says Scholes. “Everyone knows what a great player he is. The fans can’t wait to see him scoring goals for us.”
‘Rooney is earmarked for the Eric Cantona role, behind Van Nistelrooy. It has been down to Scholes to fill it more often than not over the past three seasons, but although he has been effective there, he has found it harder to be enthusiastic. Central midfield is home sweet home. “In the past couple of years I’ve played in various positions, and it doesn’t matter where you play, you’ve still got to do what you’ve got to do” is Scholes’s diplomatic pronouncement on the matter.
‘Tellingly, he can remember all the occasions this season when he has been back in central midfield: “One game against Bolton, the second half against Blackburn and a lot of the Everton game as well . . .”
‘It will be up to Ferguson, he insists, to decide where to play Rooney “and if and where I’ll play”. There is less modesty from Scholes when it comes to discussing how the early points lead established by Arsenal has led to United being written off as Premiership contenders. “That’s ridiculous,” he says. “How you can start thinking like that so early in the season, I don’t know. At United we usually do better in the second half of the season. That happened a couple of years ago. We didn’t have a great first five months, but in the second half of the season we went on a great run that won us the League.
‘“We’re not concerned at the moment, although we’d like to have won more games. We’ve had a lot of injuries, but with our squad we should be capable of beating most, if not all, of the teams in the Premiership, even with injuries. When you look around the dressing room, you see great players. We should be capable of beating any team.”’