‘I went to see the manager’ - Man Utd icon admits he once nearly joined Everton but shock deal never happenedplaceholder image
‘I went to see the manager’ - Man Utd icon admits he once nearly joined Everton but shock deal never happened | Getty Images
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes briefly considered a move to Everton in the latter years of his career
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes is a rare example of a one-club man in the modern game. He racked up more than 700 appearances for his boyhood club between 1993 and 2013 - winning 11 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and five domestic cups in the process.
He’s regarded as one of the great midfielders of the Premier League era and is synonymous with the success of Sir Alex Ferguson, but has recently admitted for the first time that he nearly ended his career at Everton.
Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football YouTube channel alongside fellow class of 92 academy graduate Nicky Butt and comedian Paddy McGuiness, he reflected on his decision to retire from football for the first time in 2011 only to reverse his decision six months later to play another year and half for the Old Trafford club.
Paul Scholes admits he nearly joined Everton
After retiring from professional football at the end of the 2010/11 season - aged 36, and with a 10th league title in the bag, Scholes decided to keep active by training with Manchester United’s reserves. Scholes explained he had started to feel he was ready for retirement in a fixture towards the end of the season against Blackpool, though Alex Ferguson had told him his services were still valued and he’d prefer it if he stayed to play around 15 games a season.
The veteran hadn’t picked up his coaching badges but was continuing to stay active by training with youngsters such as Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba but by Christmas of 2011, recalled that he had felt fitter and fresher than he had been in years and still had more to give.
United at that point were suffering from an injury crisis with makeshift options like Phil Jones and Fabio playing in unorthodox roles to help the team. Scholes felt at this stage he was ready to resume his career and even admitted he’d be willing to play for another club if Ferguson rejected his offer.
Scholes was not expecting Ferguson to let him back into the team after a six-month hiatus and as a backup plan considered Everton to be a suitable option.
“Yeah, I actually spoke to Phil Neville about playing for Everton, the chance of playing for Everton if the manager (Alex Ferguson) didn’t want me,” Scholes admitted.
“They were the only two people I mentioned to were Gary (Neville) and Phil and they thought it was the right thing. Phil was there with David Moyes. So I went to see the manager (Sir Alex Ferguson) early morning said, ‘yeah, brilliant’, you know, he rang David Gill within 2 minutes and said, ‘let’s do it.'”
Paul Scholes instantly improved Man Utd in second stint
Paul Scholes made a surprise return into the United team at the midpoint of the 2011/12 season and enjoyed a dream second debut as the team beat Manchester City 3-2 in the FA Cup.
He scored his first league goal of that season against Bolton in a 3-0 victory, and was central to the team’s resurgence as they established a lead over Manchester City after trailing earlier in the campaign.
United ultimately missed out on silverware on goal difference that season after Sergio Aguero’s late goal against QPR, but rallied back the following season to reclaim the league title with Scholes making a further 21 appearances. He retired with Ferguson in 2013 and briefly entered the world of management with Oldham and Salford City but has mainly worked as a pundit since retiring.
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