Paul Scholes reveals the secret Sir Alex Ferguson kept from all of his Manchester United players

Paul Scholes has explained how Sir Alex Ferguson would inspire and motivate Manchester United players who were named on the substitutes' bench.

Erik ten Hag has left a number of high-profile players out of his starting XI this season including club captain Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and most notably Cristiano Ronaldo. Sir Alex wasn’t afraid to do the same during his tenure, Scholes being one of those he benched at times.

Scholes admitted he didn’t like being left out by his boss but outlined how he would still make those on the sidelines feel just as valued as the United players on the pitch. Speaking on BT Sport’s Premier League Storybook podcast, which is released on Saturday, he said: “I don’t think anybody’s ever cool with not playing.

“But it was understandable. I was transitioning into that position as a central midfielder. The manager was trying to teach me how to become a different player, how to become more disciplined, playing in a central midfield role.

“Coming from being a forward, just thinking about scoring goals, the defensive side of it wasn’t something I was familiar with.” Scholes added: “[Sir Alex] was the only manager who could leave you out and still make you feel like a million dollars.

“He’d still make you feel motivated, like you’re the best player, like you could come on and change the game. He would never give you the real reason [why you weren’t playing] but if you had a bit of common sense, you knew.

“I quickly had to learn how to be part of a midfield that was more disciplined.”