I talked Scholes out of retiring, says Ferguson

ALEX FERGUSON has revealed he talked midfield maestro Paul Scholes out of retiring.

Scholes has signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester United after initially expressing doubts over whether to continue with his career, which could yet yield him a 10th Premier League title winners’ medal next week.

Recent performances suggest it was the correct move, with Scholes being as influential as any United player as the Red Devils have taken the title race to the wire.

His last-gasp matchwinner at Manchester City was a throwback to his halcyon days.

And, although Ferguson admitted he needed to twist the 35-year-old’s arm, he was not willing to let such ability slip through his fingers.

“I did speak to him,” Ferguson said.

“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, 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 better, because the experience added to the ability he’s got means he’s a big asset – as he was against City. He helped to control the match.”

Ferguson believes United are benefiting from Scholes’ decision to focus his energy purely on club matters.

Scholes quit the England scene following Euro 2004 even though he had yet to reach his 30th birthday.

Ferguson feels Scholes won’t have cause to regret, even if England win the World Cup this summer.

“I don’t think Paul’s the type the feel bitter about that or feel he’d lost something in his life,” said Ferguson.

“He made his decision based on his family and I think it helped him for the initial couple of years after he retired from the international scene.

“He should have no recriminations because it’s allowed him to move his career on here to the extent that we’ve given him a new contract.’’