Paul Scholes has admitted that one former Manchester United winger “destroyed” him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham after he played at left-back.
The 50-year-old Manchester United legend spent his entire playing career at Old Trafford across two different spells under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Paul Scholes rose to prominence as one of the breakout ‘Class of ’92’ stars from the youth academy and established himself in the first team in the 1990s.
The former United midfielder became a linchpin midfield influence for Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary Red Devils teams of the past.
During his prolific spell at Old Trafford, Scholes lifted a whopping 11 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, three FA Cups and two League Cups.
The United legend initially retired from football in 2011 before he made a U-turn in 2012 and returned to former United manager Ferguson’s squad.
Scholes bowed out of his professional playing career after he lifted United’s last Premier League title at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
Scholes on devastating ex-Man Utd winger
Paul Scholes made a whopping 714 appearances for the Red Devils and he scored 153 times and registered 83 assists in his legendary career at Old Trafford.
The United legend crossed paths with a roster of star-studded wingers at the Red Devils, including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Ryan Giggs.
Scholes, who is considered one of the best midfielders of all time, recalled his early experience of rising through the ranks of the United youth academy.
The former England international revealed that he was “asked to play left-back” during one of his “first training sessions” at United.
Scholes found himself locked in a battle with United cult hero Andrei Kanchelskis, who Sir Alex Ferguson signed from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in 1991.
“One of my first training sessions there I came out and I was maybe 17 and was asked to play left-back and the club had just signed him,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“The first team didn’t have a game so he came over. I’m no left-back. We didn’t know much about him then. We just knew he was a flying winger. He destroyed me! I couldn’t live with him!”
Scholes on his time in Man Utd training
Scholes recalled the importance of “setting the standards” at United after he ‘rubbed shoulders’ with the likes of Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson as an academy product.
The United legend told the newspaper: “We’d be on one pitch, the reserves would be on another pitch and the first team on another and you’d always have a sneaky look when you were with the Under-18s and think: ‘That’s where I want to be, I want to be in Jim Ryan’s team, I want to be in the reserves.’
“And then you’d make it there and think: ‘Right, I want to be with the first team.’ First training session I was doing shooting practice against Jim Leighton! Mark Hughes was there. Bryan Robson. All of a sudden you are rubbing shoulders with your heroes. They were firm but fair.
“It was like with us when Paul Pogba or Jesse Lingard came over. You welcomed them but if their attitude was not right… it was about setting the standards.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/f6BvWS7