How do you replace Scholes???

For first time since 1994, Paul Scholes will not be roaming in Manchester United’s midfield, providing the accurate pass or clutch goal, for a club clearly in a transition phase.

Despite his obvious decline physically, Scholes’ steady foot and soccer IQ were held in high regard by coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who admits that he doesn’t know how he will be able to replace those assets as he rebuilds the team. 

“The big problem for us is, of course, how do you replace someone like Paul Scholes? It is very difficult,” said Ferguson. “I think that he is certainly one of the top four players in the world.”


The Red Devils, who recently lost goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar and defender Gary Neville to retirement, have been unusually aggressive in attracting new players to fit their blueprint for next season. While the club won the English Premier League title, its 3-1 loss in the Champions League final displayed the divide between itself and champions Barcelona.

After that result, United signed Aston Villa’s Ashley Young, Blackburn’s Phil Jones and Atletico Madrid’s David de Gea, leaving returning players, fans and management excited about the upcoming season.   


The team still needs a playmaker to distribute the ball to attacking players Wayne Rooney, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and others. It is rumored that the veteran manager is looking to add Inter’s midfielder Wesley Sneijder to pull the strings in the midfield. 

“I think it is impossible to get another Paul Scholes, but if we get another player in similar lines in terms of the quality of his passing and vision, we would have to do something,” Ferguson said.

If Ferguson is unsuccessful in capturing Sneijder or any other top player, there might be some options on his team that warrant a second look. It was only four years ago when the Scot invested a reported 30 million pounds in a Brazilian midfielder with some promise named Anderson, who recently signed a four and a half year contract extension. 


Ferguson acknowledged that rebuilding United wasn’t a process that was decided over this summer but from three years of planning. 

“With Gary Neville , Paul Scholes, and Edwin Van Der Sar, we were well aware that we were going to have to replace them at some point,” said Ferguson. “So the work in the last two or three years has been about that, trying to make sure we still have the quality in the squad to succeed.”

It might be exciting for Red Devils fans to continue to see marquee names being added to the team but sometimes a familiar face can provide similar results if given the chance. 


source: Goal.com