Scholes to manage Oldham

LONDON: Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has been appointed as manager of Oldham Athletic, the club announced on Monday.

Scholes, 44, is taking on his first managerial role, signing a contract with the club he supported as a boy after spending his entire playing career at Old Trafford. The former Premier League club are languishing in mid-table in League Two, the fourth tier of the English game.

Manchester United wished Scholes luck, saying in a message on Twitter: “Best of luck to Scholesy in his new role as first-team manager of @OfficialOAFC!” Scholes, who owns a stake in non-league Salford, will step down from his role as director of the National League club.

The English Football League gave Scholes the go-ahead last week to take charge of Oldham, ruling that there was no conflict of interest. Scholes, a member of Manchester United’s famed “Class of ‘92” alongside David Beckham and Ryan Giggs, said he wanted to entertain Oldham’s fans.