One More Year For Paul Scholes, But No 'Big Four' Battles
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Manchester United Comment: One More Year For Paul Scholes, But No More 'Big Four' Battles
His contract extension is deserved, but he must be used selectively...
Paul Scholes’ Manchester United career is to be extended by another year, but his time going toe-to-toe with the Premier League’s best must come to an end.
Reports have stated that Sir Alex Ferguson has rewarded his veteran midfielder with a new 12-month contract to continue his 15-year spell at the club. While his signature has yet to be sealed, the extension is just reward for a man who continues to be a valuable member of the squad.
Alongside fellow senior citizens Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Edwin Van der Sar, the 35-year-old is still a regular fixture on the Premier League champions’ team sheet. Scholes was meant to wind down his career in the humble environs of his hometown club Oldham Athletic in League One, but on current form he more than merits his place at the highest level.
Twin strikes against CSKA Moscow and Besiktas has prompted the manager’s decision, as well as a performance against Tottehnham Hotspur which rewound the clock, at least until he was red-carded.
The sending off isn’t the only blot on his copy book this season. Effortless displays against Spurs, Wigan Athletic and Stoke City have been tempered by his public struggles when selected to face the tough tackling units of Liverpool and Sunderland.
Thrown in at the deep end against the tenacious duo of Lucas and Javier Mascherano at Anfield, Scholes was swamped by their attentions. Never blessed with the engine and size of many of his contemporaries, he previously made up for the imbalance with a street fighter’s aggression and ballerina’s touch.
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Age has robbed him of the turn of speed and tenacity that made him capable of trading blows. Even the flawless touch can fall away when pressurised by men capable of making him play the game at a speed his ageing legs are not used to.
Ryan Giggs’ supreme physical capacity has hardly been diminished, but for the asthmatic Scholes, this problem has been extenuated in recent years.
United’s terrible 2-0 defeat at Anfield was followed by a 1-0 setback against Chelsea. While United were never at the races in Merseyside with Scholes in place, a team flush with terriers outfought the Blues on their turf.
Ferguson seemed to have learnt from the harsh lesson dealt. For nearly all of Scholes’ period at the hub of the all-conquering machine, he has been in the starting side for the top of the table clashes that led to the league title residing in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet.
The ‘Ginger Maestro’ can now only play to his own tune against the rest, because the best will destroy his rhythm. -
it will be a sad day when these players no longer take to the field after all the beautiful football they have played and being an integral part of taking United to the glory achieved.In any other career one is now at one's peak- in football you are on your way down. These are going to be very difficult shoes to fill.We will miss them.
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