When Paul Scholes was named on the team sheet against Manchester City on the weekend, a number of different reactions from supporters and pundits were inevitable. The United faithful were understandably excited to see the ‘Ginger Wizard’ back in action after announcing his retirement, but at the same time it left an element of uncertainty. Without a clear definition of what Scholes’ role would be upon re-introduction into the squad, many onlookers will take the move as a sign of weakness and even desperation from the United boss.
With the injuries that United have accumulated so far this season and the lack of a stable midfield in particular, we have been once again left with the question as to whether Ferguson will deem it necessary to venture into the transfer market this January. Now that Scholes has been drafted back into the side, it casts serious doubt over the club investing big money in a new centre-midfielder in the near future. Whether this is down to the stubborn nature of Sir Alex or his faith in the resources he has in his squad, we may never know, but if they begin to fall behind City in the title race, fans may be questioning the lack of transfer activity once more. The board appear to be of the stance that if Ferguson wants to spend, he has money as his disposal, but as he has said himself recently, the United boss will only spend if one of his big targets becomes available.
When Scholes was introduced into he action for the final 30 minutes of the FA Cup tie against Man City, many watching would have been cautious and realistic about his ability to impact the game, particularly after being out of first team action for so long, despite the fact that he still trains and coaches with United. The ‘pass master’ showed glimpses of his former self, with fluid movement of the ball around the centre of the park and the odd sprayed ball out wide, but he was at fault for City’s second goal after conceding possession.
He looked uncharacteristically tired after the final whistle, which is understandable, but does raise the issue as to how much he can be involved with first team duties for the remainder of the season. United really need a strong and stable midfield, with consistent football under their belt, and Scholes is by no means a permanent option. Sure, he is a great addition to the squad at no real expense, but it may only go so far as to hide the vulnerabilities in the team’s midfield until the end of the season.
With potential options available around Europe for centre-midfielders looking to make an impact of the big stage, Ferguson seems unwilling to take a risk and introduce one of them at this stage of the season. With stars such as Sneijder and Nicolas Gaitan rumoured to be of interest to United since the summer, it seems that these could have been a somewhat elaborate smokescreen while Ferguson tries to build a new midfield from within. The likes of Tom Cleverley, Anderson and the versatile Phil Jones were all emerging as potential favourites for the candidates of United’s central midfielders this season, but these plans were halted through injuries. Now Ferguson’s tact has changed as we have seen Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and now Paul Scholes fill the gaps.
The obvious changes and disruption have been highlighted in recent performances, for example against Newcastle where United’s midfield just weren’t cut out to do the right job against the opposition’s combative and pressing style. Scholes in particular, as demonstrated against City for 30 minutes, and Giggs can dictate tempo well and control the game in possession in certain areas, but this isn’t going to be enough against different opponents. In my opinion, Tom Cleverley showed signs of being a great influence in their midfield set-up, and it was particularly unfortunate that he got injured early on in the season. But if United are going to challenge for the title, you’ve got to think that they need another dimension, one which Paul Scholes cannot be relied upon to provide on a weekly basis.
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