As word on the street spreads that Paul Scholes may bring an end to a glorious career when the season finishes in May, Ryan Giggs has backed the ginger legend to continue playing. Scholes, who scored in United’s 4-0 win at West Ham United on Saturday, is out of contract in June.
“I preferred it when I was playing more often and scoring a lot more goals. It’s different now, I only play once every two or three weeks,” said Scholes, 35, who has appeared more than 600 times for the club.
“You have to be okay with that, you haven’t got a choice. Players want to play every week but I know now that can’t always happen.”
Scholes is on a one-year deal at the club, which is normal for players over 30 at the club, and the club’s hierarchy is likely to offer the Bury-born midfielder an extra deal this winter. But the prospect of retiring from the game is something that Scholes has considered.
“You do think about it but I’m not too sure. I’ll just carrying on at the minute and see what happens come the end of the season,” he said.
Giggs, favourite for BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, thinks that Scholes can match the Welshan and continue playing well past his 35th birthday.
“It is totally up to Scholesy. It all depends on how you feel and it is the same with me,” Giggs told PremierLeague.com, the official website of the Premier League.
“It is still fairly early in the season. It is the middle of the campaign and not at the end and I feel good at the moment. I am sure Scholesy feels the same.
“With the experience he has got and the quality he has got you want that around the place for as long as possible.
“We all want to play every game and Paul is no different. He wants to play every week but with the squad we have got that is impossible.
“It is difficult at times when you go two or three weeks without a game and internationals come along and you are not involved in those as well. It is difficult to get back into the rhythm of it.
“You have to adapt to not playing every week but I have probably been doing it for the past three or four years so I have got used to it. Scholesy isn’t used to it the same. But I am more of a dynamic player than Scholesy so perhaps I need more breaks.
“He can still get forward or sit in front of the back four and control the game. I can also play a number of positions but he is just the centre of midfield so it is more difficult to play every week.
“So all this not playing regularly is new to him. But he’ll adapt to it as he has been proving.
“Saturday was what Scholesy is all about – controlling the game. He never gives the ball away. His passing range is the best in the game whether it is five yards or 45 yards, he is capable of doing both.
“Paul is showing over the last couple of weeks just what a great player he still is.”
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