Paul Scholes joins Man United coaching staff

Paul Scholes has been added to Ryan Giggs's backroom staff at Manchester United, with the 39-year-old helping run Wednesday morning's training session.

Scholes is helping Giggs along with Nicky Butt, the youth team coach, and Phil Neville and Chris Woods, the two members of the sacked David Moyes's backroom staff who have remained following the Scot's departure on Monday morning.

Scholes had been helping out Butt on an ad hoc basis with the youth team though Moyes did not offer him a more concrete role during his doomed 11 months in charge.

Although Giggs has little chance of becoming Moyes’s permanent successor the 40-year-old is viewed as a potential future United manager and with him being joined until the end of the season by Scholes and Neville, two more members of the vaunted 1992 United youth team, this adds to the sense all three could have a long-term future at the club.

Scholes coached at the club for six months when he first retired from the playing staff in 2011. Ferguson managed to persuade the midfielder to come out of retirement the following year and he then hung up his boots for good last summer after Ferguson left.

The former United midfielder, who has 11 Premier League winner’s medals to his name, has spent his time out of the game pursuing various projects.

He was part of a consortium, along with Giggs, Butt, Gary Neville and his brother Phil, that bought Salford City FC. Scholes has also appeared as a TV pundit during his time away from United.

(Guardian Service)