Following Paul Scholes' recent dismissal in United's FA cup semi-final defeat to local rivals Manchester City, reports have been circulating that this is finally the end of Scholes' illustrious career. After all but ending United's treble hopes on Saturday with a reckless challenge on City's Zabaleta, which resulted in his tenth career red card, he must now make the decision whether to call time on one of the Premier League's most celebrated careers.
Since his debut for Manchester United in 1994, Scholes has risen to legendary status within the British game, winning 9 Premier League trophies and 2 European Cups and playing a crucial role in each season he has been fit to play in. At the beginning of the season it was widely appreciated that this could be his last year at Manchester United, with his 36th birthday imminent and the likes of Anderson, Gibson, Fletcher and Cleverley waiting in the wings. His form in the early half of the season, however, particularly that which earned him the August Player of the Month Award, coupled with the superb performances of fellow veteran Ryan Giggs, served evidence that the two players still have some years left in them at the top. With 59 appearances between the two so far this season, it is certainly evident that the two have played more than a bit-part role in United's quest for further silverware.
The statistics would also appear to favour the Salford-born magician; with him having played in 20 of United's 32 Premier League games so far, including key title matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City which would appear to imply that Sir Alex Ferguson still relies upon the 'wiser' head of Scholes in the bigger games. Delivering one goal and four league assists (only one less than Steven Gerrard, and one more than team-mate Dimitar Berbatov) in the league, this evidence alone would appear to imply that Scholes' playing days are far from over.
It is the case, however, that whilst Scholes' range of passing has been something to behold over the past 17 years, displaying an air of calmness and control when in possession of the ball - envied by any playmaker, his Achilles heel has undoubtedly been his decision-making when not in possession; most notably his tackling. His disciplinary record is undeniably as poor as his passing is good; He has received more yellow cards in the Champions League (32) than any other player, including the booking in the 1999 semi-final which caused him to miss the final; He is the third most yellow-carded player in Premier League history, (behind Kevin Davies - 92, and Lee Bowyer - 99), with 89 to his name, which includes the 10 domestic yellow cards he has received in this campaign, for which he has already served a two-match ban.
Although there is a case that he has always been a fiery character, serving a ban for the 1999 Champions League Final at only 25 years old the obvious example, it is evident that the less he is able to influence games positively as he ages, the more his negative elements have crept into his game. After only receiving one red card in the first 10 years of his career, he has since seen 8 red cards in his last 7 seasons. This does, incidentally, coincide with the crucial departure of Roy Keane in 2005, a player who Ferguson has found extremely hard to replace. The loss of Keane, combined with the tiring legs of Scholes, has led to him occupying an increasingly deeper position in the team, with him often being deployed as the holding midfielder - a role which suits his passing repertoire, yet not his defensive abilities.
Furthermore, despite appearing in 27 games this season, 7 of those appearances have been from the bench, and although the season is not yet over, this is some way down on his average of 40 appearances a season since 1994. His influence when playing would also appear to have diminished considerably, with United winning 75% of the PL games he has not featured in, compared to only 55% of the matches he has played in. Although his legs are often saved for the bigger and more difficult tests, it is certainly a statistic which represents a fall from grace from one of Ferguson's most trusted employees.
With his contract expiring this summer, we are yet to see whether he will follow in the footsteps of Giggs, who signed a one-year extension in February. Always a humble player, however, it is realistic to suggest that, despite being younger than Giggs, Scholes' performances have not matched the welshman's in recent months, and that it may be time to draw an end to a fantastic career. It would be a shame to see the player, who Zinedine Zidane once named as his 'toughest opponent', bow out from the big stage without a big send off, and it would be perhaps fitting for his last game to be in the Champions League final at Wembley. After being exposed and outrun by the likes of De Jong and Yaya Toure on Saturday, however, it remains to be seen how much faith Ferguson will place in him, should they reach the final.
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