Replacing Man Utd’s Paul Scholes a tough task – Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson admits trying to replace Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes will be a very difficult task.

The 37-year-old retired last summer after a decorated 18 years at Old Trafford, with the former England international winning 10 Premier League titles, the FA Cup three times and the Champions League twice.

Ferguson coaxed Scholes out of retirement in January as United struggled to cope with injuries and the veteran helped inspire them to a run of 12 wins in 13 games, before the Red Devils eventually missed out on the title to Manchester City on goal difference.

The midfielder, who agreed a new one-year deal in May, is expected to call time on his United career at the end of his current contract, and Ferguson concedes it will be a challenge to find a worthy replacement for Scholes.

“Darren Fletcher has a medical situation that he’s trying hard to keep under control,” Ferguson told United’s website. “We don’t expect him back immediately but, hopefully, he does come back at some point.

“Paul Scholes, a year ago, was coaching my reserves. Now he’s back playing and everybody attached to United is delighted. He’s such a fantastic player.

“In the long-term, trying to replace Scholes is very difficult. To replace a great player like him would be hard for anyone. We always hope somebody turns up through the ranks of United, from the academy.

“We’ve also signed the young boy Nick Powell. We hope he develops into a top-class centre-midfield player because he has very good potential.”

Meanwhile, Ferguson revealed Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic, who returned to full training on Monday, are likely to miss the start of the season.

“It’s not 100 per cent that Jonny Evans and Vidic will start the season,” he added. “Jonny will start running today. Vidic and Phil Jones started full training today, which is very positive.

“If I can keep Rio fit, then Vidic and Jones should give us ample cover.”

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