Ferguson to recall veteran Scholes

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says midfielder Paul Scholes will return to face Aston Villa on Sunday.

Veteran midfielder Scholes was rested for United’s surprise 1-0 defeat at Wigan on Wednesday.

The league leaders have seen their advantage over Manchester City shrink to five points, and the gap could shrink further with Roberto Mancini’s challengers in action at Norwich a day earlier.

Ferguson has acknowledged Scholes’ considerable influence since coming out of retirement in January, and said the 37-year-old needed a break after seeing so much unexpected first-team action.

“Paul has shown his influence since he came back but I did the right thing to rest him on Wednesday,” Ferguson said.

“He will be fresh on Sunday and he will play.”

Scholes has been a mainstay of the Red Devils’ team since his return in January, scoring three times in 16 matches.

Ferguson also rejected comments from City manager Roberto Mancini, who claimed the title race is already over.

“I think he maybe picked the wrong time to say it. There’s five games still to go,” Ferguson said

“The twists and turns of the Premier League are fascinating and we had to experience that last season when we played Chelsea in the third or fourth final game, a vital game for us, and we won.

“The experience helped us that day and hopefully it does again.

“The Sunday game is the one to focus on. The rest takes care of itself really. After Sunday’s game, which we’ll hopefully win, there’s four games left.”