'I do regret leaving England so soon': Paul Scholes says he retired too early from the national side before excelling in deeper role for Manchester United... as he also reveals regret over turning down place at 2010 World Cup

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Paul Scholes says he acted too hastily in cutting his England career short and that he regrets turning down the chance to play at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The Manchester United legend retired from the Three Lions in 2004 aged just 29 after England were dumped out of the Euros by Portugal, saying he had been pondering the decision for some time. 

He racked up 66 caps during his international career and played at four major tournaments, but said he hadn't fully enjoyed the experience and was never quite the player he was at club level.

Paul Scholes has looked back on his England career with regret over his early retirement 

Scholes called it a day with the Three Lions after being dumped out by Portugal at Euro 2004 

But Scholes felt regret when he looked back on his time with England, noting that he soon changed his play style at United to more of a deep-lying playmaker - a role that he never got to play for the national side.

There had been reports he and former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson didn't see eye to eye, with Scholes often played on the left wing, but he stressed the real issue was his lack of form and a desire to spend more time with his family.

'I had a young family at the time and going away for England for ten days at a time, sometimes six weeks in the summer, it just wasn’t ideal and I wasn’t enjoying it.' He told BBC 5Live. 'I know a lot was made of Sven-Goran Eriksson playing me on the left-hand side of midfield but that was never the problem.

The ex-midfielder says he wasn't enjoying playing for the national side and missed his family

'My form in the last 20 or 30 caps wasn’t quite good enough and Steven and Frank were two top-class players who he went with centrally. I was on the left but I played there many times for United and was quite successful there, scored a few goals so it was never really why I left England. It was just a personal choice.

'I do regret leaving England so soon. I went back to United and my football changed. I had been a player who was expected to score goals all the time for England, which I was judged on.'

Scholes explained that he felt reborn in his new position and began to enjoy his football much more as he led the club to a handful of trophies - so an opportunity to play in a similar role for England could have helped him flourish had he not quit. 

'Sir Alex Ferguson saw that he wanted me to play well into my 30s and I needed a different position,' he added. 'I moved back and controlled games from midfield, sitting deep, and I was never that player for England.

He later took up a new deeper role with Manchester United and began to orchestrate games 

'I ended up playing there for five or six years and looking back playing there from 30-35 was probably the most enjoyable part of my career. 

I really enjoyed that position, I wasn’t scoring goals but to sit back and control games, I really enjoyed it. I finished with England too early to progress in that position.'

Throughout Scholes' exile from the Three Lions there had often been calls from fans and pundits for him to return to the fold - thanks to his displays in midfield at Old Trafford - and he admits he had the chance to come back eight years after his retirement, at the 2010 World Cup.  

'I was tempted to come back, you’d hear whispers all the time but there was only the one time really officially.

He had a chance to play under Fabio Capello at the 2010 World Cup but thought it was 'wrong'

He said he might have reconsidered had the call come from Capello and not Stuart Pearce

'It was before the World Cup in South Africa, I’d played well that season and they were struggling with a few injuries. Fabio Capello wanted me to come back, I got a phone call from Stuart Pearce who was on the staff.'

Eventually the 11-time Premier League winner said it would have been 'wrong' to show up having not taken part in the qualifying campaign, but now says he looks back on that decision with regret because of how well he was playing for United.  

'I had a few days to think about it and I felt I was playing well enough, I just decided that it was wrong, I hadn’t been involved in qualifying and there were other players who had been in the squad for two years, being away from their families.

'Capello didn’t ring me, maybe if he had it might have been different. Maybe he could have twisted my arm. Is it something I regret? Probably I do because at that time I was playing really well.'