Scholes: I should concentrate on defence

PAUL SCHOLES has admitted that he is worried about competition in the Manchester United squad and stated that the attacking midfield place is necessary for him to find his best form for both club and country.

Red Devils' manager Sir Alex Ferguson left Scholes out of the Champions League match against Bayern Munich, saying that he did not fit into the team's shape, something that the England regular will have to get used to, despite his seven years at Old Trafford.

With Roy Keane and Juan Sebastian Veron combining for one of the world's strongest midfield duo's, Scholes was forced to watch the game from the bench.

Speaking on Friday, Ferguson said: "Leaving Paul Scholes out of the team for the Bayern match was one of the hardest decisions I've recently had to make.

"He's a quality player with a great attitude and it was a difficult thing to do to him.  But to have the shape of the team as I wanted it, I had to go and do it."

With Ferguson opting for two players upfront, Scholes cannot get in as the forward behind the lone striker and has found himself playing on the left of midfield when Ryan Giggs has been injured.

Speaking about the future, Scholes said: "You do worry about new players coming in, even though it has to be good for the team.  It's good that there's competition for places.  It is up to people like me to try and keep my place.

"I definitely prefer to play in an attacking midfield role.  The defensive part of the game is something I have to do.  I don't work on it that often.  Maybe I should work on that a bit more."

Having recently signed a new four-year deal with the club, Scholes should have plenty of time to work on his defensive game.