Scholes tells Capello he called too late

MANCHESTER: Paul Scholes admits he would have come out of international retirement if coach Fabio Capello had asked him earlier.

Scholes quit England six years ago but Capello offered the midfielder a chance to return to the fold as he looked to add more experience to his World Cup squad. Capello’s call came just days before he announced the 30-man squad and Scholes decided to snub the request.

“It’s a big decision and I wasn’t really given enough time to think about it, so I decided not to take up the offer,” Scholes told the Oldham Evening Chronicle. “If they’d asked me earlier I probably would have accepted. There are players in the squad who have spent nearly two years flying all around the world helping England qualify for the World Cup, whereas I haven’t been involved for a long time.”

Published in the Express Tribune, June 8th, 2010.