Thursday, September 9, 2010

Paul Scholes has claimed he would’ve come out of retirement to play for England at the World Cup, had Fabio Capello asked him.

The veteran Manchester United midfielder, who quit the international scene in 2004, revealed the bungling boss left it to assistant Franco Baldini to call and even then only gave him two hours to make a decision. And the 35-year-old has admitted he might have travelled to South Africa if he had known earlier.

Asked if two hours’ notice was too short, he said: “That’s why I probably said no, not just because he had given me a couple of hours to think about it but the fact I needed a bit more time. “I am not saying it definitely would have been yes in that case but I think it might have been. I did not expect it the call. It wasn’t even on my mind. “It wasn’t until a week before the tournament you start seeing all the build up and thought maybe I made the wrong decision. “I am not saying I would have made a difference. I am just saying it was a chance to play in the World Cup and I turned it down. I don’t look back and think it didn’t go well for England because I didn’t go.

“Would I have joined up if Capello had called me? I don’t know. Maybe it might have meant more.”

DIDIER DESCHAMPS has tipped new France boss Laurent Blanc to get the country’s house in order after its shambles in South Africa.

The Marseille coach insists Blanc, who left his post as Bordeaux boss earlier this summer to take over the reins from Raymond Domenech at Les Bleus, is the right man for the job, but warned he isn’t a miracle worker. “I am convinced that Laurent Blanc has the human and professional qualities to do a good job,” Deschamps said.“The situation is dire. It is a construction site.
“Laurent Blanc is not David Copperfield.

“He will have the advantage with his name, to command the respect and credibility. He is the man for the job. But he cannot do it alone.”