Scholes: It's Not Easy

Pre-season training now involves less running and more ballwork. But don't try and tell Paul Scholes it's easy.

"The older you get, the more difficult training becomes," the 35-year-old told MUTV. "And coming to places like this [America], where it's 90 or 95 degrees, doesn't help!"

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed this week that players used to regularly run 1200m shuttles during pre-season; now, he says, the furthest sprint may stretch to just 200m. The changes are down to advancements made in sports science in recent years... and a hefty dose of logic: football's played in short, sharp bursts, after all.

"We don’t do as much physical running in pre-season as we used to do," Scholes says. "I remember when I was younger we didn’t see a ball for a week or 10 days, but now the ball is out on the first day, so things have definitely changed.

"There are a lot of heart-rate monitors, so all your work can be monitored and the coaches can tell you if you’re working too hard or not hard enough. It's a great tool to have."

Scholes is currently preparing for his 17th season in the professional game. Meanwhile, some of his colleagues on the Reds' North America tour have barely been alive that long.

Only Ryan Giggs, the club's record appearance-maker, has played more times for the Reds than Scholes. And while the midfield veteran usually prefers to let his football do the talking, he insists he's not adverse to putting an arm around the shoulder and having a quiet word with emerging talent.

"I’m not a massive talker in games or training, but if I see something that I think will help some of the other lads out, I’ll give them a bit of advice or tell them what I think they should be doing. The younger lads are all willing to learn and listen.

"When I started there were always older players in the team who would try to talk you through a game, try to give you a bit of advice here and there."