With Manchester United bidding record amount for Juventus star, Scholes says only Ronaldo or Messi merit that kind of money * Former Red Devils legend hopes Allardyce works out well as England manager
The Futsal fever has caught up with the legends. And Manchester United superstar Paul Scholes is no different. Playing for Bangalore in the Premier Futsal league, the midfielder has been enjoying his last few weeks in the country.
Scholes is no stranger to this 'T20 version of football', having plied his trade in China more than a year back.
"I was asked to (play) and it (is) an exciting game. I did play in China about 18 months ago, but not to this level. The level I have seen here is much higher than any Futsal tournament I have seen before. There are very skillful players and next time I will be more ready for it," the 41-year-old said here on Saturday.
With Futsal being akin the Indian Premier League (IPL) of football, the 11-time English Premier League champion with the Red Devils hopes that it will spur the growth of football in the country, just like what cricket's shortest version did to the game.
"It should do it. Indian people like that form (T20), it is very quick, exciting with fours and sixes all the time. You see this in Futsal too. It (requires) quick skills and (has) fantastic goals. It is very similar to Twenty20 cricket (and) we all know how popular cricket is in India. If we can get the football and Futsal sides closer to cricket, there is a chance in years to come that India will produce similarly good footballers," said Scholes, who also played cricket while growing up.
Echoing his Manchester United teammate Ryan Giggs's idea of developing the sport in the country, Scholes said it is imperative for kids to generate interest and start early.
"As early as 4-5-6 years. When cricket is the main sport, it is difficult to introduce another sport but with the Indian Super League (ISL) bringing players, more people are getting attracted. If we can start the coaching early, it will be a big benefit," he said.
Talking about Manchester United's £86 million bid for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, Scholes said the Frenchman, who spent a year with the Red Devils, is an expensive buy for his age.
"Okay, he has gone on to do great things. I think certainly there has been a lot of improvement. He needs to improve if he is going to be a player worth £86m. I just don't think he is worth £86m. For that sort of money, you want someone who is going to score 50 goals a season like (Cristanio) Ronaldo or (Lionel) Messi. Pogba is nowhere worth that kind of money yet," Scholes said.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's arrival at United from Paris Saint Germain hasn't excited Scholes either. "We don't know about Zlatan. He's 34 and probably going to play only for a year. Okay, he is a fit lad. He was playing in a team of PSG and they created a lot of chances. It was easy for him to score goals in that league," he said.
With 66 international caps for England, Scholes said he has kept his fingers crossed as far as the appointment of newly-appointed England manager Sam Allardyce is concerned.
"I hope it works out. Whenever there was a new appointment like Louis van Gaal or David Moyes, it didn't quite work out (as far as English managers). David Moyes was the right man, (Jose) Mourinho is the right man. I have crossed my fingers. I hope he is the right man," he said.
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