Alex Ferguson praised Paul Scholes for his commanding display in Manchester United‘s 3-0 victory over Newcastle United, but went no further than describing his team’s performance as “steady”.
35 year-old Scholes tormented the Magpies defence during a difficult Premier League return for Chris Hughton‘s side, and it was he who released Dimitar Berbatov to score the first goal of the night after 33 minutes.
“He showed again that he has marvellous passing range and vision for the game and he’s still got that appetite for the game and that’s the most important thing,” Ferguson told Sky Sports. “When players retain that, like him and Giggs, they are blessed with something special.
“He has looked after himself. Last season was his first full season without injury for a long time. If he can stay fit that’s the key for him.”
Berbatov himself had another good game for the hosts. Ferguson had described the Bulgarian as “a genius at times” in the wake of last week’s Community Shield victory, and today branded the striker’s display as “excellent.”
A notoriously difficult man to please, however, Ferguson also added that the striker “could have scored three or four.”
And despite Manchester United’s dominance and the comfortable 3-0 scoreline, Ferguson felt there was plenty more to come from his charges.
“We controlled most of the match,” he said. “The passing was good at times. It was a steady performance.”
Eurosport / Reuters
