Scholes: Right time to quit

Retired Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes says the time was right for him to call a halt to his career at the end of last season.

The 66-cap England international, who spent 17 seasons in the United first team, called an end to his time as a professional footballer after helping his side to a record-breaking 19th English league title last month.

Scholes, 36, said manager Sir Alex Ferguson had told him he could still contribute at Old Trafford, but he felt the time was right to finish up.

“I was struggling a little bit in my legs even with training and playing games. They didn’t feel great and I just felt the time was right,” Scholes told Sky Sports on Monday.

“I’m someone who likes to think that they can contribute every week and I think as a midfield player for this club you need to be doing everything – you need to be scoring goals, you need to be making goals and you need to be giving everything in defence as well.”

“So I just felt it was the right time and I wasn’t contributing as much as I think a midfield player for this club should be.”

Asked whether Ferguson had tried to convince him to play on, Scholes said: “Not really, no. He did say that he felt I had 10, 15, maybe 20 games in me next season and he’d like me to stay.”

“But I just told him I wasn’t feeling great and I’ll think about it again and I’ll get back to him towards the end of the season which I did do.”

Scholes, who is set to take up a coaching role at Old Trafford next season, was again forced to defend accusations he was a dirty player.

A red card for a crude challenge on Manchester City’s Pablo Zabaleta in the FA Cup semi-final loss in April was his last dismissal.

The midfielder collected 90 yellow cards in the English Premier League, the third most in history, but he said he was unlucky, rather than dirty.

“I have just been unlucky. I never had red mist against anybody,” Scholes said.

“The one against Zabaleta, I didn’t do on purpose. It was just bad timing. The ball was up there and the way your leg goes it has to come down and unfortunately it came down on his leg.”

“I would never intentionally try to hurt somebody. Nobody has ever had to go off following one of my tackles and nobody has broken their leg.”

“I have never been nasty.”

Scholes will play his testimonial against the New York Cosmos at Old Trafford on August 5, with Manchester United legend Eric Cantona set to make a return appearance.