Paul Scholes outside Manchester United’s London hotel yesterday after their Wembley defeat
His appearance as a 77th-minute substitute in the Champions League final at Wembley on Saturday was his 676th and last competitive outing for the club.
Midfielder Paul Scholes is understood to have made up his mind after United clinched their record 19th Premier League title at Blackburn a fortnight ago and wanted to make his decision public after the final home game against Blackpool last weekend.
But Sir Alex Ferguson asked him to delay the announcement to avoid any distraction for the team ahead of the Wembley match. The manager still hopes to persuade him to accept United’s
offer of a year’s extension, but Scholes, who will be 37 in November,
has told his family and close friends that he is finished.
It would have been great to go out on a win but it didn’t happen
Edwin van der Sar
He
has made no secret that he does not enjoy being a squad player and does
not want to go through another season spending most of his time on the
bench.
Scholes, who made his debut in 1994, is fourth on United’s all-time appearance list.
He
dropped a big hint that he is hanging up his boots when he revealed
recently he is organising a testimonial in August and is also writing
his autobiography, which will be published in the autumn.
Ferguson is lining up a bid for Tottenham’s Luka Modric to replace him.
Edwin van der Sar’s career has also ended with the painful defeat.
The
Dutch goalkeeper said he now plans to take a year out to go skiing and
ride a motorbike, among other things, before deciding what to do with
the rest of his life.
After the 950th game of
his club and international career, Van der Sar said: “It would have
been great to go out on a win but it didn’t happen.
“We are disappointed but, hey, that’s life. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I am quite relaxed.”
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