4 May 2010


Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he had to talk Paul Scholes, seen here in April 2010, out of retiring at the end of the season.
MANCHESTER, England (AFP) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he had to talk Paul Scholes out of retiring at the end of the season.

Scholes had hinted that he may be ready to hang up his boots after being used less frequently by Ferguson this term.

But Ferguson made it clear to the 35-year-old midfielder that he still had a major role to play in United's plans, even if his advancing years meant he was no longer as fit as in his youth.

Scholes, who has won nine league titles with United, eventually responded to Ferguson's pleas by signing a one-year contract extension and he has emerged as a significant force in recent weeks, as his late winner at Manchester City proved last month.

"I did speak to him," Ferguson told Inside United magazine. "He'd intimated that he may retire at the end of the season.

"I said, 'I'll decide when you retire... Look, Paul, you can play, there's no question of that. Your ability's there, there's no deterioration in your actual play'.

"When you get to his age, and the same goes for Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, there's a deterioration in the physical aspect of it. That's natural. We all face that. But in terms of his ability, there's no deterioration whatsoever.

"In fact, Paul's every bit as good, if not even better, because the experience he's added to the ability he's got means he's a big asset to us, as he was against City. He helped to control the match."