A glass of wine, £50 boots and Roy Keane's approval - Inside Paul Scholes' shock Manchester United return on eve of FA Cup derby

Paul Scholes didn’t exactly sneak into the Lowry hotel but there was still an element of espionage as he pulled out a chair.

The Manchester United great was part of the club’s coaching staff and seeing him around the squad on match days was nothing out of the ordinary. He perched at the staff table, nursed a glass of wine and pondered what was to come.

He was about to emerge out of retirement and make his second United debut. Only a few people knew and none of his teammates were aware.

Scholes hadn't kicked a competitive ball in eight months but felt the fire burning while coaching United’s Under-23s. He wanted another taste. He’d picked his moment. United were about to take on rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup. The Blues were freshly cash rich and had humbled United 6-1 at Old Trafford only a few months earlier. That day all eyes were on Mario Balotelli. This time they’d be on Scholes.

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As a player he wasn’t comfortable with the limelight, preferring to let his feet do the talking. He was about to find out if they still could.

"I think I trained once with the first team before I came back in January 2012," said Scholes, when reflecting on his return in an interview with BT Sport. "I had to sort some boots out so I went down to the local shop and bought a pair of cheap boots for £50 because I hadn’t got a sponsor. We couldn’t let Nike know because it’d be obvious I was coming back."

Scholes spoke with Gary and Phil Neville, then approached long-term assistant manager Mike Phelan. Eventually, he knocked on the manager's door.

Scholes said: "I went to see Mick and he said it was a great idea so the day after, nervous, I knocked on his [Sir