Scholes making good recovery

Paul Scholes has made further progress in his bid to fully recover from the eye problem which wrecked last season for the Manchester United star.

Scholes was forced to miss virtually five months of the campaign due to a condition that initially confounded specialists.

Eventually, an extended rest period was ordered, with Scholes subsequently admitting he may suffer some double vision for the rest of his career.

After originally writing Scholes out for the season, Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted to welcome the 31-year-old back for the final Premiership game against Charlton before offering the former England international another 45-minute appearance in Roy Keane’s testimonial.

Scholes came through both tests unscathed and after resuming pre-season training with the non-World Cup members of the United squad last week, he is now feeling confident about playing a full part in the new campaign, starting with the three-match tour to South Africa.

“I have been training for over a week now and there have been no problems,” he told MUTV.

“Those two games at the end of last season have given me confidence because going into those matches, I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel.

“But I was okay and I have improved even more over the summer so the future looks good.”

Scholes’ return has brought some welcome relief amid a turbulent summer at United.

The futures of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been the subject of speculation and the club are yet to recruit any new players.

There have been a host of reported inquiries and suggestions that deals for Michael Carrick and West Brom keeper Tomasz Kuszczak are nearing completion, but it is little wonder so many United fans are getting twitchy, especially after seeing Chelsea recruit Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko.

While Ferguson will no doubt keep his nerve as he assesses the transfer situation over the next few weeks, the Scot will also hope to unearth a couple of hidden gems on the South Africa tour, which opens against the Orlando Pirates in Durban on Saturday.

Striker Giuseppe Rossi is among those tipped to make giant strides this season after being rewarded with a new long-term contract and, with so many senior stars absent, Scholes knows how important it is for his young team-mates to make a positive impression.

“There will be quite a few young players on this tour and they have to try and really impress,” he said.

“The aim of everyone on this trip is to be in the starting line-up for that first game.”