The former midfielder climbed through the Red Devils’ youth system to become a club icon, winning 25 trophies throughout his remarkable 20-year tenure at Old Trafford.
Even with his immense success, there is one moment that Scholes does not look back on with much fondness.
In November 2001, the Englishman notoriously declined to play for United in a League Cup match against Arsenal, feeling frustrated after only having a brief appearance in a 3-1 Premier League loss to Liverpool the previous night.
As a result of his actions, Scholes was fined two weeks’ wages by manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and he has expressed his regret about the incident since then.
During The Overlap’s Fan Debate, the 49-year-old was questioned about the incident by a United supporter, prompting him to laugh nervously and cover his face with his hand.
The former England international then acknowledged that he had made a significant error in judgment, stating, “I made a mistake. I should have gone [and played against Arsenal].”
He later confessed: “Look, I totally regret that because to refuse to play for Man United, I thought my time was up, in all honesty.
“But I think when I go back to that time, my head has just gone.”
Scholes revealed that he had been furious after not being chosen to start against arch-rivals Liverpool.
He recalled: “We were playing Liverpool away on Sunday, and I got left out of the team, which happened all the time.
“I was always one who understood if I got left out. I was bothered, but I’d know why. That game, for some reason, it got to me because I thought I should have been playing.
“And like I say, if you had a bad game the week before, then I accept it, or if somebody’s better off for this game, then great. But I just didn’t agree with the decision at the time.”
With United trailing 2-0 at half-time due to goals from Michael Owen and John Arne Riise, Scholes confessed he was eager to get on the field and help change the game.
However, as the match progressed, he became convinced that Ferguson was saving him for the upcoming Arsenal match.
He continued: “I never spoke to the manager about this, but Jim Ryan was the assistant manager at the time.
“So I’m itching to get on. I’m at the back, and I’m warming up all the time. I go and sit behind him and think, ‘We’ve been s*** on, we’ve been rubbish,’ getting beat, getting battered 2-0.#
“I probably was just paranoid, and my head had gone, [but] I had a feeling that the manager said to Jim Ryan, ‘No, we’ll leave him for tomorrow.”
“And that just got to me.”
Scholes was finally substituted after 77 minutes and admitted that the decision made him feel unfairly treated.
The former star explained: “I think he brought me on with maybe five or ten minutes to go with the intention of playing me the night after, which was Arsenal away in the League Cup, where we started playing all the young lads.
“So I’d have been probably the only first teamer to go.
“And your state of mind sometimes, it doesn’t probably think rationally. I might have just been paranoid at the time, but I just felt there was something against me at that time.”
Although Scholes may have felt unfairly treated at that time, he certainly repaired his relationships in the years that followed.
He continued to spend the remainder of his career at Old Trafford, officially retiring in 2013 with 11 Premier League winners’ medals and two Champions League titles, having made over 700 appearances for the club.
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