“I love football. It is difficult not to be around,” said Paul Scholes last August.
Over a year later, little has changed.
He does not seem to be enjoying his retirement at all.
His regular TV appearances seem to be endured – rather than enjoyed – with his surly pitch-side presence meaning he offers little in the way of expert analysis.
Think back to Manchester United’s match against PSV last season.
Gary Lineker asked him who he thought would comprise Manchester United’s strongest defensive partnership.
“Don’t know… I couldn’t tell you,” he said.
And on the occasion he does contribute an opinion, it tends to be a negative one about his former club.
His latest reaction – after Manchester United’s loss to Fenerbahce – followed a familiar trend.
“We’ve had quite a painful three years”, he said.
“There are three or four better teams in the Premier League, we know this team is not capable of challenging for the Premier League.
“Whatever United do in the next 18 months is a bonus.”
Scholes’ on-camera sternness is matched only by former team-mate Roy Keane.
Though, having already taken the step into coaching, Keane’s comments carry significantly more weight.
Enter stage, Warren Joyce.
Following the sacking of Gary Caldwell at Wigan, the former Manchester United Under-21 manager was appointed as the Scot’s replacement a fortnight ago.
And as the 51-year-old assembles his backroom staff at the DW Stadium, he is poised to offer a part-time coaching role to Scholes.
That move would be a good fit for both sides.
Not only would it give Scholes a chance to back up his pointed media presence – like Keane has done – but the Latics would also benefit.
Sitting just a point away from safety in the Championship, a small improvement could be enough to lift them out of danger.
Scholes’ presence on the training ground, given his world-class attributes as a player, might be just the lift that Wigan need.
He was, after all, once called the greatest midfielder of his generation by Zinedine Zidane.
The opportunity for a second-tier squad to learn from someone of such prestige would be welcomed.
Scholes, meanwhile, would have very little adjusting to do.
With ex-United coaches Paul McGuinness and Jimmy Ryan also reportedly ready to move to the Lancashire club, he will be among familiar faces.
The move would also – and perhaps most significantly – offer the former England international a chance to enjoy football again.
Maybe.
