Man Utd player dubbed ‘next Paul Scholes’ by Sir Alex Ferguson has contract ripped up by club
A player who was once seen as Paul Scholes’ successor at Manchester United is set to move on from a League One club.
Scholes, 50, made 716 appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson’s United between 1993 and 2013, a period in which he helped the club win 25 trophies, including 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two Champions League crowns, two League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Of course, the England international did initially retire in 2011, returning for a season in 2012 before finally hanging up his boots for good in 2013.
Ferguson, 83, handed a teenage attacking midfielder his United debut while a then-37-year-old Scholes was nearing the end of his playing days back in 2012.
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Nick Powell made a dream start to life at United with a debut goal against Wigan Athletic, having joined from Crewe Alexandra in July of that year. United pipped Arsenal to his signature.
“It was a tough decision until I met Fergie,” Powell told The Athletic back in 2023.
“I don’t get taken aback when I meet ‘heroes’ because I see it as a job. But it was meeting Fergie that made up my mind.”
Powell joined for a reported £6milllion fee and was tipped for great things by Fergie after scoring in a 4-0 win over the Latics at Old Trafford – Scholes also got on the scoresheet.
"Powell is going to be a really good player who, we hope, will fill Paul Scholes's boots in terms of he's got terrific vision, good temperament, two great feet, is quick and is a great striker of the ball," Ferguson told the Guardian after the match.
But his debut goal was his only strike during his time at United.
Just eight more first-team appearances followed before he, after loan spells at Wigan, Leicester and Hull, joined the Latics permanently in 2016.
And Powell has since established himself as a decent football league player, having made over 100 appearances for Wigan and Stoke City, respectively.
However, the attacking midfielder, now 31, is not at a crossroads in his career. According to the MEN’s Sam Byrne, Powell’s departure from his current club, Stockport County, is in the “offing” and he is likely to join fellow League One outfit Bradford City.
Nick Powell on Man Utd career
Powell took full responsibility for his downfall during an interview with SPORTbible in 2023 and explained how he "wasn't a Manchester United player" despite his talent and even claimed he was "very lazy until the age of 25".
Powell said: "Now I'm older and I see things in a different light. I think, what an experience to see that day to day. At least I got to see what a top top team and a club looks like. And that's what I take from United.
“Listen, my career could have gone either way. I was very lazy until the age of 25. And that seven years probably kills you when you're lazy."
And despite not reaching the heights once expected of him at United, he has still enjoyed a respectable career which is set to continue for a while yet.
Topics: Manchester United, Football, League One, Transfer News, Paul Scholes, Sir Alex Ferguson
Luke Davies