Paul Scholes: I told Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson I wasn’t going to play

Posted Friday, September 30, 2011 by The Sun

PAUL SCHOLES still shakes his head in disbelief when he recalls the time he told Alex Ferguson: I'm not playing for you.

The memories came rushing back for the Manchester United legend this week after his former team-mate Carlos Tevez rocked football.

Tevez sparked a storm on Tuesday night after refusing to come on as a sub against Bayern Munich when asked by Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini.

But Scholes refused even to travel to the game he was supposed to be playing in.

The former midfielder, 36, admitted: "How I was brave enough and stupid enough to do that I don't know. I have regretted doing it ever since."

It was in November 2001, and Scholes had been dropped for a game at Liverpool which United lost 3-1.

Old Trafford manager Ferguson had agreed with Arsenal's Arsene Wenger to play a League Cup tie at Highbury the very next day and Scholes was told he was playing with the kids.

Scholes recalled: "I was not happy about being on the bench at Liverpool to start with.

"Then we were being battered 2-0 by Liverpool and I wanted to get on.

"I was thinking 'bring me on, bring me on' but the manager just left it until about five or six minutes to go.

"I was told I was playing in the League Cup game the next day at Arsenal. At the time the first-team players didn't play in the League Cup games and I just felt the manager was messing me about a bit.

"We were leaving that night after the Liverpool game from Stockport train station to go to London.

"I drove to the station and waited for the manager.

"When his car arrived he wound his window down and I told him I wasn't going. Why on earth I did that I don't know, I was in a stupid frame of mind and felt like he was messing me about. I can't remember what he said back to me, I just got in my car and drove home."

The realisation that he could have played his last game for United quickly hit him.

Scholes said: "Probably driving home I thought there was every chance it could be the end of my career with Manchester United, that probably he would get rid of me now. And he was well within his rights to sack me.

"I had an England game the week after so I knew I was not going to be seeing him for a week.

"I really thought about the implications of what I had done when we were due back into training.

"We had lost the game 4-0 to Arsenal and I realised what a mistake I had made, particularly letting the young lads down.

"I realised I had done wrong and went to see him and apologised.

"I got fined a week's wages but that was it dealt with.

"With the manager once something is dealt with it is out the way."

So when the news broke this week that Tevez had refused to come on at Bayern he had some sympathy with the Argentine striker.

Scholes said: "Carlos is someone who wants to play every week and there are some players these days who are quite happy to sit on the bench and take the money.

"If he felt anything like I did at the time I can understand what frame of mind he is in. He will feel like he is being messed about."

Nowadays, Scholes would just love to play one more game for United, even just train with the first team.

One of the greatest players to kick a ball brought the curtain down on his illustrious career at the end of last season and now coaches the youth and reserve-team players.

He has mapped out his career in a book called 'Scholes: My Story'.

But now he wishes he had given it another year in the first-team squad as the manager had asked.

Scholes said: "I miss playing football. I am missing it more than I thought I would.

"The first three months were great. But now I have gone back to the training ground and am doing some work with the reserves and youth team.

"The biggest part I miss is not training with the first team day to day. I was playing with some of the best players in the world.

"Then when I see matches on television I want to be involved.

"This last few weeks I have thought whether I should have given it another year.
"But it is too late now. Going back on my decision is not an option."

Asked if he might consider going down the leagues just to play again, Scholes replied: "I don't think so."