Man Utd legend Paul Scholes opens up in honest interview about son's autism

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently opened up about his son’s autism in an incredibly candid interview.

The former England midfielder, who plied his trade in one the most successful Premier League dynasties of all time, was chatting with Gary Neville on the Overlap.

Scholes gave a frank and open insight into life at home as he and his family have negotiated the way with son, Aidan.

Speaking to Neville, Scholes began:

“I knew he [Aiden] wasn’t right; it took him ages to walk and by the age of 18-months, he only spoke a few words – when I say words, they were just words that me and Claire could understand.

“They weren’t proper words and we had to count his words, he had something like 100 words.

“18-months later, he probably had 10 at the most, he just wasn’t using them. He was using actions, he was going to the cupboard to get food out, he wasn’t telling us anything.

“I was just getting frustrated all the time with it and it was hard as he wasn’t sleeping. He could go right through the night, go to school the day after and not sleep.”

Scholes then went on to highlight how it impacted his day to day in terms of training and playing.

“The first time we were playing Derby County away when we just found out,” he continued.

“It was a waste of time, I didn’t want to be playing, but I wouldn’t tell anyone anything and the manager left me out the day after. I didn’t tell the manager. I told him six months or a year after.

“I don’t know why I told him, there was nothing that could be done differently. I had to cover my arms when I used to go to training because Aiden was scratching and biting. The last five years [he’s been brilliant], he’s so relaxed, so calm, so happy, but for eight or nine years, it was horrific.