Paul Gascoigne says Man Utd had an ‘unbelievable’ midfielder who was the hardest tackler he faced

Manchester United have had many tough-tackling players down the years, but England icon Paul Gascoigne has now named the hardest he faced throughout his career.

Paul Gascoigne was one of the biggest British football stars of his generation, but it’s also a massive ‘what if?’ story that stems from a broken promise in 1988 that influenced the trajectory of his career.

‘Gazza’ had emerged as the most exciting talent in the country at Newcastle, sparking interest from Sir Alex Ferguson, who personally intervened to secure a deal.

This led to Gascoigne giving his word to Ferguson, who told the young star he’d see him after returning from a holiday in Malta.

Man Utd icon Sir Alex Ferguson perfectly captures the ethos of believing in youngsters 🔥👏

Giving young people an opportunity is a fantastic thing and they very seldom let you down. These lads never let me down when they put that jersey on.

Sir Alex Ferguson speaking at the opening of Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium in 2017

United missed out on the transfer because Tottenham chairman Irving Scholar hijacked the deal, offering Gascoigne’s family a house, car, and bizarrely, a sunbed for his sister.

Gascoigne would go on to sign for Tottenham in a deal worth £2.2 million, but his career didn’t go as planned due to off-field issues.

Many will argue to this day that Ferguson would have been the ideal figure to get the best out of Gascoigne and keep him in line, but it was never to be.

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Paul Gascoigne reflects on Paul Scholes’ hard tackles

Although Paul Scholes was not renowned for his tackling ability in midfield for United, the former England international never shied away from making an effort to win the ball.

There were many occasions when Scholes would get the man as well, but hey, that’s just part of football, and referees were more lenient in those days. It doesn’t take much to get sent off in the modern game.

Rangers, Newcastle and Tottenham hero Gascoigne has appeared on the Signatures R US podcast to reflect on his playing career.

Gascoigne was asked who the hardest tackler he faced throughout his career was before naming a United midfield – but not Roy Keane.

The answer Gascoigne gave was Scholes.

“He [Scholes] was the one with the hardest tackle I’ve ever had – in training for England,” Gascoigne said.

“He hit me, my body shook. Yeah, when you’d go to the side, take the ball to the side, he come that way and he rattled me. And honestly, I stood still and just shook.

“But yeah, great guy. What a great player, though. Oh, he was solid, hard, hard *******.”

Have you seen Paul Scholes score a better goal than this wonder-strike vs Aston Villa?

What a hit! 🔥

The technique on this volley is absolutely insane!

Gascoigne was then asked if we miss players like Scholes in the modern game.

He added: “Yeah, yeah. You know, you can’t get away with this stuff that you used to do years ago, but he was tough. Yeah, he was, you know, he could score some unbelievable goals.

“He was tough as nails, and he was a hard grafter as well, like, you know. Of course, everyone was when you’re playing with Man United, playing under Sir Alex Ferguson, but he was tough.”

Martin Keown makes reference to Paul Scholes’ tackles after Arsenal criticism

Scholes’ recent comments about Arsenal sparked outrage from Ian Wright, but now Martin Keown has weighed in.

Arsenal are currently seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, in a good position to win their first league title under Mikel Arteta.

Scholes claimed that Arsenal “could be the worst team to win the league” before correcting himself by stressing he meant the ‘most boring’ team.

After Arsenal beat Leeds 4-0 on Saturday, the former Arsenal defender responded to Scholes on talkSPORT, saying: “You know this journey of week-to-week, you have got to shut that noise out.

“People talking about you being champions, some of it mischievously from some people saying this would be the worst ever Arsenal team. You just go and win it. Doesn’t matter what you look like.

“You know people try to create pressure and when you don’t get what you want, they look for all kind of weaknesses.

“They’re better than everybody else right now. That’s all they need to be.”

Keown added: “I love Paul but this comment, it’s like one of his tackles, isn’t it? It’s waist-high.

“No one’s going to be listening to Paul Scholes in the Arsenal team. You just get on with your game and try and win.”

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