Scholes delivers fresh blow to Eriksson

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is picking himself up off the floor again - and this time the devastating body blow has been delivered by one of his most important players.

Forty-eight hours before the Swede learns whether he still has a job, Paul Scholes ripped up Eriksson’s 2006 World Cup qualifying blueprint by announcing his international retirement.

Eriksson has spent the last month attempting to persuade the Manchester United midfielder against making yesterday’s stunning decision but, as he psyched himself up for a meeting with his FA inquisitors, the England coach yesterday learned he had failed.

An intensely private man, devoted to his wife and young family, Scholes has become increasingly disillusioned with life on the international scene and wondered whether it was worth the amount of time he was spending away from home.

He was unhappy about being away from home during the recent European Championships and with criticism of his performances from outside the England camp rising, the 29-year-old questioned his long-term England future.

With crucial qualifiers in Poland and Austria looming, Eriksson had hoped Scholes would change his mind. But, even on his brief trip to the US with his club, the flame-haired star indicated he did not want to extend a seven-year international career that earned him 66 caps and saw him net 14 goals.

So, just hours before he was due to turn out for United in their pre-season encounter with PSV Eindhoven, Scholes delivered the news Eriksson was dreading.

“This is not a decision I have taken lightly,” he said. “I have been considering retiring from international football for a while now.

“Euro 2004 was fantastic but afterwards I felt the time was right for myself and my family to make it my last England appearance.”

Though Scholes has not hit top form in an England shirt over the past year and went almost three years without an international goal until he put his country in front in their group clash with Croatia in Lisbon, the Oldham-born player was still seen by Eriksson as a major influence.

Answering criticism of Scholes’s pre-tournament form, the Swede claimed the player was virtually undroppable, naming him as one of the true world-class talents at England’s disposal.

So, it was with considerable sadness that Eriksson accepted Scholes’s shock decision. “I am very sorry that Paul has decided to retire from international football,” he said.

“Paul and I have been speaking about this since Euro 2004 and, while he remained a key part of my plans for the England team, I fully respect his decision. Paul is a great player who has given so much to England over the past seven years. He has a very special talent and it has been a privilege working so closely with him.

“I would like to wish Paul every success in the future with Manchester United. He deserves it.”

There are bound to be questions raised over any pressure Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson may have exerted on his player.

Ferguson is notoriously antagonistic towards the potential loss of players to international duty and famously selected Scholes for a Premiership encounter with Middlesbrough two seasons ago having already pulled the midfielder out of the England friendly that followed with an ankle injury.

On this occasion though, it would seem Ferguson has had no part to play in the decision.

Ferguson knows that at the age of 29, Scholes could easily have coped with the twin demands of international and domestic combat.