Manchester United great Paul Scholes reveals frustrations with life outside football

Scholes is expected to become the manager of Oldham Athletic within the coming days

Paul Scholes, the former Manchester United manager, has admitted that he has struggled to feel challenged and fulfilled since the end of his playing career.

Scholes has worked as a pundit, predominantly for BT Sport, since hanging up his boots in 2013 after 718 appearances for United.

The former England international has made no secret of his desire to embark on a coaching career and is likely to start in management sooner rather than later.

The 44-year-old is expected to be appointed as the new manager of Oldham Athletic, his hometown club, over the coming days.

Scholes maintained there was “nothing to report” regarding Oldham while appearing at a press conference alongside his fellow Class of ‘92 members on Wednesday.

However, he revealed for the first time that he has found it difficult to be stimulated outside of football and believes he is now ready for a new challenge.

“I think that’s what makes you, not depressed, but it makes you sad really when for 20 odd years, from leaving school, I’ve always had something to try to achieve at the end of it,” Scholes said.

“Then you spend five or six years in the media and there is nothing to achieve. I don’t see where there is something to achieve in that.

“I don’t think there is anything to achieve apart from giving comments and I think I’m ready again to try to achieve something.

“[Management] might be a massive failure, I don’t know, if something happens. I just don’t know, but I want that sense of feeling again on a Saturday afternoon to have something to achieve.”

Scholes has combined his punditry work with a co-ownership role at non-league Salford City alongside his former United team-mates Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.

The 44-year-old has also spent time working with United’s reserves in the past but he is growing ever more eager to take on a hands-on role within football full-time.

“It's just the frustration of not being involved,” he said. “Saturday afternoon is the hardest thing.

“I can go out and watch games but I'm constantly on my phone looking at results: ‘What score is this? What score is that?’

“You have no real involvement but you're obsessed with it. I want that feeling back again of working towards something through the week, working towards the end game on a Saturday through to the end of the season.”

“I keep going back to 'trying to achieve something'. I've been sat around for five years now, not doing nothing but doing stuff where no results come at the end of it.

“I might regret this decision if it happens. Results might not be as I want them to be but I'll know I've given it a go and not been sat at home wondering about it.”