PAUL Scholes and Ryan Giggs are Manchester United's key men as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to build a new era of success at Old Trafford.

The Reds boss has singled out the two veteran midfielders - Scholes is 32 and Giggs 34-years-old - as the players who can bridge the gap between the "old" United of the turn of the century and a new, more cosmopolitan team based around the youth and vigour of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ferguson feels that the newly-crowned Premiership champions could be on the brink of something great, but that the next two seasons will be a crucial phase in the transition, with Owen Hargreaves looking certain to head a small knot of signings this summer, and more youngsters like Giuseppe Rossi, Chris Eagles and Jonny Evans ready to start pressing for first-team places.

Ferguson said of the team: "It's young enough to improve. The experience of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs will be vital over the next two seasons, but there's every reason to be confident."

The manager, drawing comparisons with his two previous eams, said that the increase in the number of foreign players to a club which relied on a core of British players throughout their success in the 1990s, had made little difference.

Different

"I don't think this set of players is like the previous two teams at all," he said. "It's different altogether. There are a lot of foreign players in the side now and in that sense the make-up is so different.

"We've got an Argentinian, a Dutchman, three Frenchmen, a Portuguese, a Serbian - it's a real mix of nationalities. Football has changed that way and the Premiership has gone down that route. So, when building a new team, you've got more work to do in terms of getting the team to gel, getting that understanding and spirit of Manchester United. But take Nemanja Vidic and Gabriel Heinze - they show that great example of determination, they're warriors.

"I think once the foreign players get inside the club and they understand the history, it seeps through to them and they become Manchester United players.

The make-up of the side makes this one different to the previous two, but all three had that same desire and winning mentality."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been called up for Norway's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Malta and Hungary next month.

The 34-year-old striker, who bagged 11 goals for the Reds this season and averages one goal every three games for his country, will hope to buoy Norway's qualification chances after defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina and a draw with Turkey in their last two qualifying games.

How long do you expect Giggs and Scholes to continue at the top level? Have your say.