Fergie Praises Scholes Display

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson hailed midfielder Paul Scholes for his man-of-the-match display in the 3-1 Community Shield win over Chelsea.

Scholes produced a superb performance, the highlight of which was a raking pass to Wayne Rooney in the build-up to Antonio Valencia's opening goal.

"He's just an incredible footballer," said Ferguson of the 35-year-old.

"It's a phenomenon that he goes out there and becomes man of the match, approaching his 36th birthday."

Scholes' display justified Ferguson talking the former England midfielder - who rejected overtures to return to the international fold for this summer's World Cup - out of retiring at the end of last season.

"This time last year, he's saying to himself, 'This is my last season' - and a lot of people thought that,"

Ferguson said. "It came across my mind also, simply because he's had a lot of injuries in his career. He keeps coming back; it's not easy to do that."

Ferguson also praised striker Dimitar Berbatov after his goalscoring display in Sunday's game.

Berbatov - who scored only 12 goals last season - came off the bench to seal United's win at Wembley with a superb injury-time chip, after Salomon Kalou's goal had made it 2-1 with seven minutes left.

"He has great talent. You can't dispute the man's ability - he's a genius at times," said Ferguson of the Bulgarian.

"He had a mixed last season but maybe it's going to be his season now."

United captain Nemanja Vidic echoed his manager's sentiments about Berbatov, who came on at half-time and formed a promising link with new signing Javier Hernandez.

"It's important for him to score the goals," said Vidic. "He had a lot of pressure last year and I hope this year he will score more goals and we will try to help him do that."

Vidic suggested that the victory was the perfect springboard for his side to achieve success this season.

"I believe there will be more trophies and this is just the beginning," added the Serbian centre-back. "We showed we have a good squad and we have the hunger and energy to win more trophies."

Manager Ferguson also heaped praise on Mexican Hernandez, who has shone in pre-season and opened his competitive account on Sunday.

"He's quick to get in the box - he's a really good finisher," said Ferguson. "He's got a bubbly character and speaks good English. He's settled in very well."

United finished second in the Premier League behind champions Chelsea and Ferguson believes that their positive display at Wembley - albeit in a game lacking the true intensity of a league fixture - is an indication of their readiness to challenge for honours again.

"I'm happy with the display," declared the Scot. Some of the football was very good at times and we created chances and deserved to win it.

"When us and Chelsea play each other it is always competitive. Chelsea showed their desire in the last 10 minutes. It was nicely competitive but nothing too serious."

As important as their display was to Ferguson, equally vital was the chance to give some match-time to those players who played in the World Cup, including England's Wayne Rooney, who were given extended rest during the summer following their exertions in South Africa.

He also indicated that the midweek international friendlies - widely criticised for their timing - could assist some players in getting sback to match fitness.

"It was good for players to build up their fitness," he said. "I don't know if Wayne and Park (Ji-Sung) are ready yet but the internationals in the coming week are a bonus for them and I'm delighted they are involved.

"We've got so many players away but having the (first Premier League) game (against Newcastle) on the Monday helps us.

"I don't think anyone can understand why we've got an international friendly before the season starts but we've been given a bit of luck through that."

Michael Carrick was a surprise starter after Ferguson said on Friday the midfielder would be sidelined for two weeks and miss the start of the season with an ankle injury.

"On Friday, I was certain Michael was out for two weeks," Ferguson said. "He came in yesterday, says he was fit, wanted to train, trained, and wanted to play.

"The minute he says he's fit, we had to play him, simply because he needs game time."