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England badly miss the genius of "Ginger Prince" Scholes

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"Mystical" Mike Norman discusses the career of one of England's best-ever midfielders Paul Scholes

Somehow Paul Scholes doesn't fit the description of a typical modern day footballer. He doesn't do nightclub brawls, he doesn't produce sordid homemade movies, photos of his wedding weren't in Hello magazine and for crying out loud, he's never even dated Rebecca Loos!

But what Paul Scholes lacks in controversy, he more than makes up for in footballing ability.

A product of Man Utd's highly successful youth system of the early 90's, this quiet professional is now regarded as one of the Premiership's best ever attacking midfielders. At the age of 33 he is showing no signs of waning, as he continues to be instrumental in United's new look midfield.

This diminutive player, known by many as the 'Ginger Prince', is one of the most creative midfielders England has ever produced. It's very rare that a midfielder who can't tackle is regarded as world class, but in his prime, Paul Scholes fits the bill. His quick brain and range of passing can be likened to Glenn Hoddle, while his surging late runs into the opponents penalty box are straight from Bryan Robson's coaching manual.

Like all great midfielders, there has to be an end product, and whether it's a defence splitting pass or a goal of his own, Scholes ticks all the right boxes. He has scored more than 150 senior goals for both club and country and has a strike rate that is slightly better than one in four. Sir Alex Ferguson once described him as the best finisher at the club, quite an accolade considering the wealth of talent United have had in front of goal.

It's such a shame then, especially given England's current plight, that Scholes decided to retire from International football more than three years ago - something I am totally against. Of course, it's a players own prerogative as to what he chooses to do, but what sort of message does it send out when a player at his prime turns his back on his country, preferring to concentrate on his club career? At the age of 32 or 33 then I can understand, but at the age of 29 as I believe he was, then sorry, I'm not having it. Maybe I am being harsh; I would love your thoughts.

Scholes will still, and quite rightly, go down as one of England's finest ever midfielders however, and I would put only Paul Gascoigne ahead of him in terms of class. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are other great midfielders, but when fit, they almost became automatic selections for their country. It would have been great for all concerned if Paul Scholes had stuck around the international scene - Scholes and Gerrard or Scholes and Lampard might just have worked you know!

Scholes is currently recovering from a knee injury and will miss the visit of Derby County tomorrow. While his absences is usually a negative, especially in big games, United should have no problems seeing off a very poor Derby side at odds of just [1.12]. The away team can be backed at a massive [38] if you fancy the mother of all shocks, while the draw is [11]. Derby have failed to score away from home all season, so a clean sheet to be recorded by United looks a safe investment at [1.48].

In the long term, United are trading at [2.7] to retain their Premiership crown, though my personal preference is still for Arsenal at [3.15]. Ferguson would love to lift the Champions League one more time as he approaches the end of his career, and [7.2] won't be the worst bet you will ever place - a better one is to lay Barcelona at [5.0], who will not lift this trophy. United are trading at [5.9] for the FA Cup, odds that will shorten dramatically once they breeze past Aston Villa in round three.

http://www.manutdzone.com/playerpages/PaulScholes.htm