• Premier League

Scholes not 'passionate' about United role

ESPN staff
August 8, 2014
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Paul Scholes admits he isn't "passionate" about coaching at Manchester United but has backed Ryan Giggs to succeed Louis van Gaal as the club's next manager.

Former United midfielder Scholes had been part of the backroom staff for the final four games of last season after Giggs was put in charge on an interim basis following the sacking of David Moyes.

New manager Van Gaal had promised to find him a role at the club, but after signing up to be a pundit for BT Sport and ITV next season, Scholes ruled out a return in the near future.

Nicky Butt argues with Ryan Giggs over who takes the penalty during the Class of '92's 5-1 defeat at Salford City © Getty Images
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"I am not really bothered about pressure or it being a tough job," Scholes told the Independent, after agreeing to write a new weekly column for the newspaper next season.

"In the coaching stints I have had I don't know if coaching is something that has really got me going.

"It's not something that gets me out of bed in the morning thinking 'I really want to do this'. But in the next couple of years, who knows?"

At the back end of last season, Giggs inspired United to a 4-0 win against Norwich in his first game before a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, a 3-1 win against Hull and a 1-1 draw at Southampton.

Scholes feels it could have been his former team-mate sitting in the Old Trafford hotseat right now rather than Van Gaal had United taken maximum points from their four games, however.

"We would like to have won four games and maybe Ryan would have had a better chance to get the job full-time," Scholes added.

"It was great working with him and being with Nicky [Butt] and Phil [Neville]. Ryan was great as well and I am sure he is being groomed to be the manager in the next few years."

Scholes featured alongside Giggs in a Class of '92 & Friends team as they went down 5-1 to Salford City on Thursday night.

The fundraising effort for the club that Giggs, Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville now own attracted a 12,000 crowd to the AJ Bell Stadium in Eccles, with Giggs getting on the scoresheet with a penalty.

Butt, who also featured in the match, has backed United to challenge for the Premier League title this season.

Having worked with United's youth set-up last term, Butt is set to finalise a new role with the club in the coming weeks, but feels Van Gaal has already restored the feelgood spirit at Old Trafford after last season's dismal campaign.

"The new manager is in charge now, we are on an unbeaten run and now we are looking to make a good start to the season with the first five games we have got," Butt said, referring to United's opening fixtures against Swansea, Sunderland, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers and Leicester.

"Everyone expects Manchester United to contend for the title. We finished as low as we have done last season, but when the season starts again, everyone will expect. I am a fan, and I will expect us to be challenging again."

Class of '92 & Friends: (L-R back row) Coach Eric Harrison, Gary Neville, Robbie Savage, Dutch former goalkeeper Raimond van der Gouw, John O'Kane, Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, Mikael Silvestre, Quinton Fortune, David May, former cricketer Steve Harmison, Phil Neville and former cricketer Michael Vaughan, (L-R front row), Nicky Butt, Raphael Burke, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, comedian Jack Whitehall and Ben Thornley © Getty Images
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