THE DECISION to call Paul Scholes out of retirement, 225 days after his last appearance in Manchester United’s colours, was just the start of an afternoon that veered from the surreal to the fantastical. Three goals up on their local rivals’ turf before half-time, and enjoying a numerical advantage after the early dismissal of the opposing captain, United appeared to be on the way to exacting statistical revenge for the famous 6-1 defeat at Manchester City’s hands on their own ground in October.
But nothing about yesterday’s third-round tie was destined to be predictable, starting with the moment, an hour before kick-off, when United announced that Scholes had been re-registered as a player and would be taking a place among their substitutes for this high-octane derby.
“When I saw him on the bench it was incredible,” Roberto Mancini said. But it was not even the most incredible aspect of this tumultuous contest, in which United held on by their fingertips to win against the assault of a 10-man City side cleverly reorganised by Mancini after the interval to compensate for the absence of Vincent Kompany, dismissed for a two-footed tackle on Nani after only 12 minutes.
The decision to recall the 37-year-old Scholes, seven months after his last appearance against Barcelona in the European Cup final at Wembley, seemed to indicate a desperate shortage of midfield resources at Old Trafford.
What would Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison, the stars of last spring’s FA Youth Cup-winning side, be thinking of the decision to give a 677th appearance in the club’s colours to a man who had a testimonial match in August before settling into the life of an assistant coach with United?
Since the number 18 he wore for the best part of two decades was reallocated last summer to Ashley Young, Scholes was given the number 22 shirt, the one he wore when breaking into the side.
Ferguson said: “He came to see me and said: ‘I regret retiring’. He said he wanted to come back, that he was missing it too much. There are no negatives for me. The players are delighted, I’m delighted, the fans are delighted. For the last few weeks he has been stepping up his training. He has been taking part in our training sessions during the week.
“Paul has been training hard with the reserves and doing a lot of work in the gym. It is a terrific addition to our squad at a very important part of our season. He’s a fantastic footballer and there’s been no real loss to his fitness.”
“I’ve been pretty clear since I stopped playing that I miss it,” Scholes said. “I’m delighted the manager feels I can still make a contribution and I’m looking forward to playing my part in trying to bring more success to this great club.”
