Fabio Capello to give Paul Scholes final chance to end England exile

Posted Wednesday, August 25, 2010 by theguardian.com

• United midfielder regretted rejecting World Cup offer
• Capello seeks to clarify Scholes's position on England return

Fabio Capello to give Paul Scholes final chance to end England exile
Paul Scholes feels he made the 'wrong decision' by not going to the World Cup.

Paul Scholes could yet be offered a return to the England set-up after it emerged that Fabio Capello is to ask the Manchester United midfielder to clarify his publicly expressed sense of regret at having declined a late invitation to be included in the World Cup squad.

The national coach will seek to determine once and for all whether Scholes has any appetite to end his self-imposed international exile and play a part in England's qualification campaign for Euro 2012. Capello watched the 35-year-old impress yet again in United's 2-2 draw at Fulham yesterday, with Scholes scoring the opening goal and maintaining his fine start to the season.

It remains to be seen whether Capello makes this final check on Scholes' intentions personally or if, as in June, he asks the England general manager, Franco Baldini, to contact the midfielder. But the Italian feels compelled to verify his state of mind after the player publicly claimed he wished he had made himself available when contacted before the announcement of Capello's provisional 30-man squad.

Scholes had cited disappointment that the unexpected call had been made by Baldini rather than Capello, and at the short length of time he was given to make up his mind whether to emerge from international retirement after a six-year absence. The player had been attracted to the offer but, having slept on it, called Baldini the following day and politely declined the invitation.

The midfielder, who earned the last of his 66 caps against Portugal in the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 and did receive some encouragement from Sir Alex Ferguson to return to the England fold, later admitted the unanticipated request had felt "a little bit surreal", though he claimed if he had been given more time to make a decision he would "definitely have gone".

"I had only been given a couple of hours, so it was a bit of a rush job," Scholes said last week. "But the World Cup is the biggest tournament you can be involved in. I wish I had gone. I did feel as though I had made the wrong decision. There was a touch of regret, but it doesn't matter now. It's gone."

Capello will seek clarification from the veteran with those comments in mind as he prepares to name his first squad for next month's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland. The Football Association still considers it unlikely that the midfielder will be involved, particularly given the focus that has been placed on younger players and long-term strategy since South Africa. There is also the reality that Capello has ruled out David Beckham, another 35-year-old, from his plans for future competitive fixtures, though the Italian retains sole responsibility for selection.

Baldini was at Newcastle yesterday and was given food for thought by Andy Carroll, so impressive in the 6-0 defeat of Aston Villa, though the 21-year-old is not expected to be fast-tracked into the senior England side. Instead, the 21-year-old is likely to be asked to prove his potential by helping the under-21s qualify for next summer's European Championships in Denmark.

The Newcastle striker scored a hat-trick during his side's 6-0 victory at St James' Park, but Carroll is still regarded very much as a work in progress by the England management team. Moreover, the under-21s are struggling to qualify for the tournament in Denmark next year and it is felt Carroll could play a key role in turning next month's vital qualifiers their way.

Although the FA no longer demand that England coaches refrain from selecting players confronting criminal proceedings – something which Sven Goran Eriksson railed against when he found he could not pick Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate – Capello is well aware the player faces a crown court trial in October on a serious assault charge.

FA sources are adamant the Italian would not be prevented from selecting Carroll for England senior duty, but they remain conscious of the furore that might be generated by any such pre-trial call-up for the forward.