Paul Scholes has announced that he will be stepping back from football punditry, and has also explained the key reason that led him to his decision.
During his illustrious career as a Manchester United player, Paul Scholes won a plethora of accolades, spanning from his 11 Premier League titles to his two Champions League trophies.
Once his playing career had come to an end, Scholes decided to try his hand at management before stepping into the world of football punditry, where he has often given his expert insight into football’s current state of affairs.
As well as this, the former United man has often joined a band of fellow retired stars, such as Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Ian Wright, in shows such as The Overlap.
In an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Scholes announced his decision to step back from his role as a football pundit and attributed this to one key factor.
Scholes takes step back from punditry
On the podcast, via BBC, the former England midfielder spoke on his retirement from football punditry and how he is taking the time to focus on his autistic son, Aiden.
He said, “Everything I’m going to do now just works around him, I do studio work, but everything is built around his day.
“Last season on Thursday nights, I’d do the Europa League for Manchester United. That’s the night I’d usually have him, so he was getting all agitated, biting and scratching. He knows the pattern’s not there straight away.”
Scholes then spoke about how it affected him during his playing days, saying, “I never got a break from it, even when playing – it was very hard in those days.”
Scholes’ struggles
The 50-year-old carried on talking about his son’s diagnosis, and said, “I remember the first time after it, we were playing Derby away and I just didn’t want to be there.
“I remember the manager dropped me the week after, and I hadn’t told anyone. I ended up telling them a few weeks later, as it was quite hard.
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“Even now, I don’t want sympathy or anything. I just thought, even if I did speak to someone about it, it’s not going to help Aiden.
“The big concern now is, because you’re getting a bit older, what happens when you’re not here? That’s the thing that’s now on my mind all the time.”
Unfortunately, we won’t get to hear as much of Scholes’ expert insight anymore, but it is definitely for the best that he has taken this commendable step back to care for his son and his own health.
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