Scholes draws praise from Ferguson

Sentimentality is not a word which features in Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's vocabulary.

Just ask the likes of David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy or Jaap Stam. They were all jettisoned out of Old Trafford long before their time despite being great servants to the club.

Once Ferguson had made his mind up these individuals no longer cared for the club in the same way he did they were gone in the blink of an eye.

No emotional send-off, no fond farewell, just the exit door. Ferguson, no great respecter of reputations, at his calculated best.

Which is why such significance should be placed on his words immediately after United booked its place in the Champions League final with a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford with a goal from Paul Scholes.

The former England midfielder, of course, famously missed the club's 1999 European triumph at the Nou Camp against Bayern Munich because of suspension.

Much was made of Scholes' right to start against Premier League rivals Chelsea in Moscow on May 21 but Ferguson, true to form, thought only of the quality which the 33-year-old brings to his team.

Scholes would be in there on merit, not a whim. Asked if the match-winner against Barcelona would make the final line-up Ferguson said: "Absolutely. He's one of the great players to come through the ranks here."

It is no less than Scholes deserves for years of unstinting dedication to the Red Devils' cause.

While other more high-profile players have come to Old Trafford, stolen the limelight for a while, and then moved on Scholes has been a consistent performer for nearly 14 years.

His goalscoring exploits from midfield have been vital to United's success during that time.

A career-best 20 in season 2002-03 helped the club to the eighth of nine Premier League titles before the current campaign and probably signalled the peak of his powers.

In subsequent years the goals have become fewer while the injuries have become more frequent - with blurred vision and a knee ligament problem suffered in the last two seasons.

But to focus on his goals only scratches the surface of a player who exudes quality all over the pitch, with team-mate Michael Carrick a real fan.

"Just to play alongside him and learn from him has been an absolute pleasure. He is a footballer's footballer," said the former Tottenham and West Ham midfielder.

"You see how he plays in different situations, how he uses his experience and you have so much confidence to be alongside someone like that."

"As long as he is part of us we always feel we have a chance. He is a superb player, perhaps not as appreciated as he should have been."

Except by the people who really know him, those who have got as close as they can to the intensely-private Scholes, who true to form shunned post-match interviews after Barcelona to dash off home.

"Scholesy didn't say much afterwards and he just slipped away very quickly. That's just the way he is. We appreciate the way he goes about his business," Carrick revealed.

The Salford-born player's history with the club goes back to when he was spotted by Brian Kidd and Archie Knox playing in a schools cup final aged 12.

At the time he was at Oldham's School of Excellence but was eventually persuaded his future lay with United and in 1991 signed trainee forms