Quotes from Paul Scholes

It's the thing I miss about football, I suppose: being with the team day-in day-out, getting a team ready for a Saturday afternoon, or getting yourself ready for a Saturday afternoon - it's the most difficult part.

At United, we never used to change our style much away from home. The aim was always to score goals and dominate the match.

Playing in attack is difficult. You are under scrutiny, and you have to be able to deal with that.

At United, we like to have wingers who give the team width and pace.

I got sent off a few times in my life, but I never lost my head. I mistimed tackles, and I made mistakes.

There were players I shared a dressing room with who didn't like each other. You don't have to talk to each other. You just need to win matches.

When I go into management, I want to do so with 100 per cent commitment.

Messi is as famous as any footballer has ever been, and yet, when it comes down to it, we don't know much about him. I read that he is a family man and likes to walk his dogs, but beyond that, he's a mystery, really. I like that.

It is very difficult for me to breathe when it's hot and humid.

The best goalkeeper I played with at United was Schmeichel. He was a phenomenon in training, never mind on match days. He just never wanted to concede, and he would do everything to stop you scoring.

For my whole career, I concentrated on that cycle of games from August to May and being mentally and physically ready.

In the periods of my career when I stopped passing the ball forward or when I stopped looking for the risky pass that might open up a defence, the consequences were the same. The manager stopped picking me. I got back into the team when I went back to doing it the way he wanted.

I was lucky enough to play at Old Trafford, and we always talked about the atmosphere on a Tuesday night, the special atmosphere you create, and the crowd is rocking when you go out for a warm-up.

As players, we were paid to do a job we loved - in my case, at the club I supported. And nothing I did could be allowed to interfere with that. The manager would not have permitted it.

People say that Rooney could have been like Lionel Messi, a more prolific goalscorer who dribbles past opponents more. But they are different characters. You will never see Messi snapping around the heels of an opponent to win the ball back deep in his own half. Wayne does that all the time, and sometimes that enthusiasm will count against him.

I first remember Wayne Rooney from a game at Old Trafford in 2002 when he came on as a late substitute for Everton and, in a brilliant 15-minute performance, skipped past me on a couple of occasions.

I never wanted to lose my place in the United team, much less my place at the club. What went on beyond the pitch was none of my business.

As a midfielder at United, I had to pass the ball forward, and yes, it did not always work. It did not always mean putting a chance on a plate for the strikers. It was up to them to get on the ball and score goals. Was it easy? No, but we were playing for United. It was not supposed to be easy.

English clubs should not be pleased to go to places like Barcelona and get away without a thrashing. They should be able to compete. They have the resources.

Managing a club like Oldham has to be an all-absorbing, seven-days-a-week commitment.

To go and watch Manchester United, whether it's home or away, is entertainment; it's goals - whether you concede goals or whether you can score goals.

United's history was built on attacking football, which does not always mean that the team kept clean sheets or did not concede chances.

Playing against Messi, as I've said before, is as tough a test of your concentration as any in football. At any moment, he can take the mickey out of you. Physically, it is demanding, but mentally even more so. You cannot switch off.

At United, my United, we had been honed into a ruthless team who played great football but, ultimately, were there to win football matches and league titles. At Newcastle, they could certainly play on their day, and the crowd was formidable, but there was a weakness - a vulnerability that you could seek out.