Paul Scholes Was Wise To Turn Down Manchester United Coaching Role

Paul Scholes has nothing left to prove at Manchester United and nothing else to give the club which has given him so much. 

The technical wizard has devoted his heart, soul, body and talent to the Red Devils for essentially his entire adult life, and now he wants a little time away from it all. 

Scholes retired from the pitch for the second time at the end of this past season, but the Red Devils didn't want him to walk away from the club or the sport. He was quickly offered a coaching role at Old Trafford. 

As Sky Sports tweets, Scholes turned down that offer:

In Sky Sports' story, David Moyes' speaks of his attempt to draw Scholes to his backroom staff. This was certainly no surprise. Scholes was a heady player and a Red Devils fixture. He also has previous coaching experience, as he joined Sir Alex Ferguson's staff after his initial retirement in 2011. 

However, this time he won't be making the plunge into the coaching ranks following a retirement—at least not initially. Sky Sports passed along this quote from Moyes: 

"

Paul was fantastic with me and wanted to help a lot. I probably spent an hour or two on the phone with him. He wants to spend time with his family at the moment. We'll bring him in when he's ready.

"

Moyes was certainly careful to leave the door wide open for Scholes, and I expect he will cross through that door at some point. His passion for the game has been evident his entire career. It is difficult to imagine him walking away for good from the sport. It is also difficult to imagine him being on the sideline of any team but Manchester United.

Scholes would appear to be an excellent fit for the coaching ranks, and he can bring the kind of winning experience to a staff that is very hard to find.

After all, this is a player who won 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups, the Champions League twice and one Club World Cup. 

That said, he was wise to take a little time off. After the hectic and travel-filled schedule he's competed in over the years, Scholes should be commended for wanting to spend extra time with his family. 

This will not only benefit him in his personal life, but it will also serve him well as a coach—should he decide to go that route. 

With a little time away from the game, Scholes can distance himself from his identity as a player and begin to craft one as a coach. This will allow him to return to the game fresh and with new perspective. It will allow him the chance to reach his potential as a coach, and perhaps instill the drive to greatness he displayed as a player into the athletes he may go onto coach.