As a Manchester United fan, or even as a football fan, I feel like a modern day Judas, my hands trembling as I write these blasphemous words: Paul Scholes is no longer good enough for Manchester United, and the club have made the wrong decision by offering him a contract extension.
His technique is alive and well but his 36-year-old legs are not up to the pace. He was immense; the best midfielder in the world according to Zinedine Zidane, but while he and Ryan Giggs are regularly mentioned in the same sentence when it comes to the longevity of the remains of Fergie’s Fledglings, it is only by virtue of romance, and not reality. The last two games against Liverpool and Chelsea are evidence of this.
Scholes is good enough to play against smaller teams at home, but he is a luxury player that Manchester United cannot afford. He does not have the legs to be effective in three consecutive fixtures which is what is needed in times such as these, with the squad suffering from a multitude of injuries. These days he is only effective when played in a midfield three, with players such as Darren Fletcher and Anderson to do his running for him. At the moment this is not possible and his frailties have been exposed in successive defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool.
Scholes, famously, could never tackle, but he had the legs and brain to make clever interceptions. Now he is only effective when the ball is played into his feet, which is fine when United are running games but against tougher opposition (or, this season at least, away to seemingly any opposition) when United are on the backfoot, Scholes value is seriously diminished. Defeat at Anfield and Stamford Bridge is nothing to be too ashamed of (although to lose at both is a massive blow for a title contender) but Scholes and Michael Carrick have made United an extremely lightweight pairing at centre-midfield. Carrick has almost no aggression, and when Scholes shows his it is invariably in the form of a late tackle, a yellow card and his effectiveness is limited further still by his necessity to show caution for the remainder of the game.
Carrick has also been offered a new deal to the surprise of many United fans, but he has relative youth on his side. What kind of signal does it send to the squad if United continue to offer lucrative new deals to players who have been performing beneath themselves? United need a revolution in the centre of midfield and that should start with releasing Paul Scholes.
A one-year contract extension has been offered, but Scholes has refused to sign it while he remains a bit-part player in Fergie’s squad. He has had his chance to show that he is still capable of playing a part on a regular basis in the past few games and has failed. This is not for lack of effort, simply the effects of time and a long career on his body.
Scholes has often stated that he would like to play for Burnley, the club he supported as a child and to which he takes his own kid to watch. This shows his undying love of the game. He has enough money and is not one to spend it, preferring to drive the Audi provided by United’s sponsors rather than a flash motor like many of his team mates. This devotion to football is admirable. He has one career and he wants to get the most out of it. Various other great players such as George Best, Ian Wright and Teddy Sheringham went down and down in levels until they finally called it a day.
From a fan’s point of view I would like to see Paul Scholes retire at the end of this season, while he is still vastly respected around the world and a United regular. I would wish him well at Burnley if that is his choice, but United need to realise that Scholes is past it and replace him in the summer if they have genuine title aspirations next season.
Read Charlie Coffey’s brilliant blog at my11.com.
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