Old Trafford eyes on Veron as Scholes faces surgery

ALEX FERGUSON scored a decisive victory in the club versus country row over Paul Scholes’ fitness.

The Old Trafford chief spent the last week being accused of wrecking England's plans for the forthcoming European Championship qualifiers by playing Scholes against Middlesbrough last Tuesday, even though he claimed the 27-year-old wasn't fit enough to report for international duty.

Ferguson insisted it had been a gamble to play Scholes in the 1-0 win last week and yesterday he finally gave in to fitness concerns which have been plaguing one of Sven-Goran Eriksson's five key players since the start of last month, ruling him out of tonight's clash with Bolton, almost all the Red Devils' Champions League first phase games and England's double-header with Slovakia and Macedonia next month.