Scholes Reigns Supreme

Former Reds midfielder Johnny Giles has joined the chorus of approval for Paul Scholes' return to top-level football.

The 37-year-old came out of retirement in January and United have won every Barclays Premier League game he's played in since, except for the dramatic 3-3 draw at Chelsea when he came on as a substitute with the champions two goals down.

Giles, who lifted the 1963 FA Cup with United and is now a top pundit in Ireland with RTE and The Herald, has always been a great admirer of Scholes and feels his qualities are unique in today's game.

"I am a great fan of Scholesy," he told ManUtd.com. "Paul Scholes has been the only genuine, real midfield player in the last 15 years perhaps. Certainly in the Premier League, never mind for England, he’s been a great player.

"In his early days he was scoring goals as well, but you look at him and only he can play and make that position on the pitch his own. He gets the ball from the back four and distributes it and nobody else can do that.

"I know you get different types of midfielder – Luka Modric is very good, David Silva is excellent – but Paul Scholes, for running midfield from a central position – there is nobody like him."

The decision to make a U-turn over his retirement has clearly been the right one and there is every prospect Scholes could carry on for another season.

"Good luck to him," continued Giles. "He probably should never have retired in the first place. Sometimes it does you good when you finish as you’ve had enough but then you actually miss it.

"He was a bit in and out of the team and it was probably very easy to decide he’d had enough. But I think he’s probably come back as good, if not better, than before. He’s been excellent since he came back."

Scholes' fine comeback
Man City (A) 3-2 - FA Cup *
Bolton (H) 3-0 - Premier League
Arsenal (A) 2-1 - Premier League *
Liverpool (A) 1-2 - FA Cup
Stoke City (H) 2-0 - Premier League
Chelsea (A) 3-3 - Premier League *
Liverpool (H) 2-1 - Premier League
Ajax (A) 2-0 - Europa League *
Ajax (H) 1-2 - Europa League *
Norwich (A) 2-1 - Premier League
Tottenham (A) 3-1 - Premier League
West Brom (H) 2-0 - Premier League
Wolves (A) 5-0 - Premier League

* = Came on as a substitute