PAUL Scholes has reiterated the fact that he will never play for England again... but he has not ruled out the possibility of one day playing for Oldham Athletic.

That will please pensioner Ernie Smith - a lifelong Latics fan - in one way but be a huge disappointment in another.

Ernie, the United star's biggest fan, would love to see Steve McClaren try once more to persuade the United maestro to rethink his international retirement. But Scholes said: "I reconsidered last year, and I'm too old now, so there is no chance, sorry."

However, Scholes, who since retiring from international duties has breezed past 500 appearances for United, isn't ruling out one day swapping the red of United for the blue of Oldham, the team he watched from the terraces as a boy, and where in his youth he represented Boundary Park Juniors.

Battled

"As for Oldham, you just don't know what will happen in the future... I suppose it could happen, you never really know."

Ernie, 65, named Scholes as the winner of our MEN Media-flybe.com player of last season, organised by the Manchester Evening News paper, this website and our sister TV station Channel M.

Bachelor Ernie, of Broadway, Chadderton, said: "It was a chance of a lifetime to meet Paul Scholes, who I think is the best player in the country. I love his aggressiveness. He reminds me of a Jack Russell terrier, battling around for the ball. He had some problems with his eyes, but battled on... that's Paul.

"I always supported Oldham Athletic and both United and City. I reckon Paul will end up at Oldham Athletic when he calls it a day at United. He lives in Saddleworth and has been seen lots of times watching at Boundary Park."

The judges, MEN Sports Editor Peter Spencer, the MEN website's Paul Handler, and Mike Bradley, the Channel M Sports Editor, agreed with Ernie's assessment of Scholes which won the retired Oldham Council building inspector a chance to hand over the trophy and win return flights for two from Manchester with MEN Sport sponsors flybe.com.

Ernie, who doesn't have a passport, said that he hopes to use the tickets to visit the Isle of Man for a fishing trip.

Honour

Scholes, who becomes the third recipient of the MEN award after Richard Dunne and Wayne Rooney, said: "It's a fantastic honour to be chosen for this award, and I'm particularly pleased that Ernie, who only lives round the corner, should be chosen as a winner too... but I do want to know why (the MEN's) Stuart Mathieson picked Cristiano Ronaldo!"

MEN journalists assessed the form of players with our nine clubs during last season.

Mathieson believed Cristiano Ronaldo to be the top player for the Reds; Chris Bailey chose Richard Dunne at City; Emmerson Boyce was Wigan's star man according to Neil Barker; and Bolton's Jussi Jaaskeleinen took the plaudits from Trevor Baxter.

Outside the Premiership, Kevin McIntyre came top out of Macclesfield's players; Rochdale's key man was Rory McArdle; Ashley Williams was best for Stockport; Paul Warne was the star turn for Oldham; with Bury's Andy Warrington completing the line-up from the area's league clubs.

Scholes was pushed hard by Ronaldo, who won 14 trophies last season, including the double of PFA Young Player and overall Player of the Year.

Ernie, however, so admires Scholes' terrier spirit that there could be no other choice, describing the opportunity to hand over the prize as "like being assigned to present the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium" - and he even invited the United hero for a drink at his local, the Sportsman's Arms in Chadderton. Tweet