Paul Scholes’ message about “mentality” is an all-important lesson for the current Manchester United players under Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.
The 50-year-old Manchester United legend achieved incredible silverware success at Old Trafford, including lifting 11 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
Paul Scholes spent his entire club playing career at the Red Devils across two separate spells under legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The ex-Red Devils and England midfielder netted 155 times and registered 83 assists for his former side and Scholes made a whopping 716 appearances for United.
Scholes is considered one of the best midfielders of all time and the United legend was a linchpin midfield influence for Sir Alex Ferguson in the first-team squad.
One of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ stars, the ex-England star rose to prominence in the United youth academy before breaking into the first-team squad in the 1990s.
Scholes initially retired from football in 2011 before the ex-United midfielder made a sensational U-turn on his retirement and returned to the Red Devils in 2012.
The United legend bowed out of Old Trafford for the final time as a player in 2013 after the Red Devils lifted their last Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign.
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes’ ‘big thing’ about injuries
Paul Scholes revealed the “first thing” he would want to do if he picked up an injury and the message that he would send himself about changing his mentality.
The Manchester United legend suggested that the type of mentality that he adopted is something that he doesn’t “see” in “many players” nowadays.
Speaking on The Overlap, Scholes said: “I think that mentality is a big thing when people get injured.
“Say someone does their hamstring and the physio says it’s eight weeks, the first thing I wanted to know was what I had done, how long I’d be out, then my mentality switched to, ‘Right, I’m going to beat it. I’m going to get back before it.’
“I could imagine that I was a pain in the a— for the physios because I was always going to the physio every day saying, ‘What am I doing today? Can I step up to the bike? When am I going outside?’
“I don’t see that in many players these days. Once you say 12 weeks hamstring, that’s it, they’re taking 12 weeks and they’re not coming back before that.”
What Man Utd players can learn from Paul Scholes
According to Transfermarkt, the most matches that Scholes missed in a single season for United was 22 due to a knee problem in the 2007-08 campaign.
Scholes mainly suffered injuries towards the tail end of his playing career, but his ability to overcome periods on the sideline reinforced his value to Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ruben Amorim, on the other hand, has already struggled to maintain a regular consistency in the United midfield due to injuries within his first-team squad.
The 40-year-old United manager’s preferred pairing has been Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, but the latter has been sidelined due to injury.
Amorim has also been without academy product Toby Collyer and the former Sporting CP boss has frequently rotated his team selection due to the absentees.
Scholes’ message about the desire and fight to return from injury as soon as possible is exactly what United need to see from their injury-hit first-team squad.
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