Paul Scholes should delay retirement as he still has a role to play at Old Trafford, says Clayton Blackmore.
Replacing van der Sar is Ferguson's biggest challenge
Clayton Blackmore has urged Paul Scholes to postpone retirement and carry on playing for Manchester United for one more year.
The midfielder, 36, is considering hanging up his boots this summer after failing to command a regular place in the Old Trafford side's starting line-up.
But former United man Blackmore believes that Scholes was a pivotal cog in the Red Devils' successful pursuit of a 19th Premier League title.
And he is hopeful that the former England star - who came on as a 77th-minute substitute in United's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League Final - will commit to the club for a least another 12 months.
"I'm hoping Scholes stays on," Blackmore told
Sky Sports News, "because without him this season we wouldn't have won the league."
"He's been fantastic, just like Ryan Giggs. I know Giggs will be here next year and I have a feeling Scholes will be, too."
Strengthening
United found it tough to compete with Barcelona's highly-skilled midfield at Wembley on Saturday night.
And Blackmore says that shows Sir Alex Ferguson needs to reinforce his options in the middle of the park, even if Scholes does pen a new deal.
"I think the manager is always strengthening the squad," said Blackmore, an Old Trafford player between 1982-94.
"After the first 10 minutes (against Barcelona), I would have said we don't need to strengthen the squad because we were all over them.
"But then we stepped back off the game and gave them too much space and we let top players play, so it'll be nice to see new faces at the club."
Important
However, Blackmore believes the man who replaces the retiring Edwin van der Sar in United's goal - likely to be Atletico Madrid stopper David de Gea - will prove to be Ferguson's most vital acquisition.
And he also reckons that despite Dimitar Berbatov's surprise omission from the Red Devils' squad for the Champions League Final, that the Bulgarian frontman will still be at Old Trafford next term.
"The big one, for me, is replacing Edwin van der Sar," said Blackmore. "The manager has already got somebody in his sights and that will be the most important signing that we make."
On Berbatov, he added: "I think Michael Owen is going to be moving on so if we lose Berbatov as well we'd probably have to bring in two strikers.
"We've got some good young talent coming through, but I think Berbatov will still be here at the start of next season."
