• Manchester United veteran at peak of his form, says Giggs
• 'In any team in any tournament he would shine'
Ryan Giggs has said his Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes is at the peak of his form and should be essential to England's hopes at Euro 2012.
Scholes collected the most recent of his 66 caps in 2004 before stepping down from international football to spend more time with his family. There have been suggestions, though, that the 37-year-old could be tempted to return for his country in this summer's tournament, especially with his former United and England team‑mate Gary Neville now forming part of the national team's coaching set-up.
Roy Hodgson names his squad for the European Championship finals on Wednesday and Giggs believes the inclusion of Scholes would give England an extra edge.
"If he started the first game against France, he'd be one of the best players on the pitch," said the Welshman, referring to England's opening match at the competition. "Him and Xavi are the same sort of players. They just control the tempo of great teams. To do that you need to be a special player and that's what [Scholes] does. In any team in any tournament he would shine. It's not like he just turns up for games and does it. He does it every day in training."
For Giggs the continuing presence of Scholes in United's lineup is critical. "It's massively important that we can keep that sort of quality at the club," the Welshman said. "I think it's probably been the best he's ever played since he's come back [from retirement in January]. He just doesn't give the ball away, he controls the tempo of games.
"In training and in games you find yourself laughing because he makes it look so easy. He's easily the best player I've played with because of that fact. He's going to get talked about because of the quality he's got, he's English and there's a major championships coming up. Whether he wants to go I'm the wrong person to ask. But he's the kind of player you'd want in your team."
Giggs also took a certain glee in the fact that Scholes's decision is irrelevant to a Welshman: "I'm going on holiday on Thursday, I don't care what he does. If Scholesy does decide to play and Roy Hodgson does decide to try and bring him out he'd be a great addition to the squad."
The fascination with United does not end at Scholes with Hodgson having added Neville to his coaching staff. The manager went further still, since his trust in Neville was demonstrated by the four‑year contract presented to him. Enhancing England is probably not one of Sir Alex Ferguson's priorities but his influence on Old Trafford employees should be of value to their country.
Giggs believes Neville will make a "good impact" on the England squad. "He's obviously done well on the TV this year, his views, his outlook on football. He's got fresh ideas. He's played at the top himself, he's got so many positives and so many things he can bring to the table.
"He knows what the modern-day footballer wants and needs, which is important. He's just come out of playing football himself, played at the top level, gone to tournaments. While he was at those tournaments maybe he thinks things should have been done differently, I don't know, but he'll bring all that experience to England."
The fate of the national side is hard to discern but new figures such as Neville may provide a modest contribution to the refashioning of England. Read More
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