Oldham 'would welcome Scholes' as manager

Oldham’s stand-in manager Dean Holden insisted he would not be surprised if the club managed to pull off an audacious move by luring former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes into management.

Latics have a vacancy available at SportsDirect.com Park following Lee Johnson’s decision to jump ship for Sky Bet League One rivals Barnsley on Wednesday.

Scholes, who grew up supporting Oldham and is a close friend of chairman Simon Corney, was immediately linked with the position but there is as yet little to suggest the 40-year-old is ready to swap his role as a television pundit to wade into the managerial world with a league club operating on one of the smallest budgets in the division.

Nevertheless, the idea of Scholes holding the reins with Latics is not beyond the realms of possibility for Holden.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News at Oldham’s press conference on Thursday morning, Holden said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul Scholes came in.

“I know he’s a massive fan of Oldham and he’s very friendly with the chairman Simon Corney too.

“He’s a legend so I’ll probably have my autograph book at the ready if he does arrive!”

Scholes, who only ever played for United during his playing career, retired for a second time in 2013 when Sir Alex Ferguson also ended his long tenure at the Old Trafford helm.

The 66-cap England midfielder was a famously reserved figure who shunned the limelight during his time with the 20-time top-flight champions but has been seen across media outlets since first appearing on screens as a pundit last season.

Holden and club captain Adam Lockwood will take charge of Oldham against Preston this Saturday, with Latics announcing they will oversee first-team affairs “for the immediate future”.