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

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.

Paul Scholes opens up his son’s autism

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.”

Paul Scholes describes how his career was impacted

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.

Video: Paul Scholes speaks on his son’s autism and life post football

“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.

“He could be in the back seat and we’re driving and he’s grabbing Claire’s hair, grabbing me and you don’t know why. It’s just frustrating because he probably doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Paul Scholes highlights his son’s improvement

“Now, every single day, every single night, he asks what he’s doing the day after. So, we’ll say ‘school’, so you know that he’s thinking about his routine tomorrow. You tell him school, you tell him if he’s going swimming after school, what he’s going to have to eat.

“He has got a lot better with breaking his routine, and routine for autistic children is massive, but he can cope with it, but when he was younger, he couldn’t cope with it.”

While Scholes goes on to highlight further struggles that face Aiden moving forward in life, it is fantastic news to hear that he is getting better with time and we can’t help but admire Scholes for being so open and honest in his interview.

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Manchester United vs Chelsea, 2008 UCL Final

Gary Neville Wes Brown John O'Shea