UNITED LEGEND READY FOR FIRST BIG JOB
PAUL SCHOLES is expected to sign an 18-month contract to finally become Oldham Athletic’s new manager. The Manchester United legend has previously held talks with his boyhood club but feels the time is now right to take the plunge into management even though they are currently midtable in League Two.
Sportsmail understands that barring any last-minute hitches, the deal is likely to be finalised in the next 10 days. Owner Abdallah Lemsagam, who competed a protracted takeover in January, has been calling the shots at the club since the start of last season. In that period three managers have come and gone and Oldham have suffered relegation to the fourth tier. The Premier League founder members, 12th in the table, sacked Scholes’s boyhood hero Frankie Bunn over Christmas and youth coach Pete Wild has been in charge since. Despite the absence of a permanent manager, three players have been signed this month. Six of the starting XI which lost 2-1 at lowly Macclesfield Town on Saturday are thought to be players identified and signed by Lemsagam from overseas. One insider said: ‘Good luck to Scholesy — he’ll need it. We are currently at the stage where the players signed by Abdallah — and there are lots of them — know what the team is before the manager does. The meddling is off the charts.’ Wild has won three of his five matches in charge — including the 2-1 FA Cup shock away at Fulham earlier this month. A source close to Scholes, who applied for the job last year, says the United legend is aware of the situation at the club. The move raises questions over the 44-year-old’s involvement at National League Salford City. Should they gain promotion and join the same division as Oldham, Scholes would have to drop his interest in ambitious Salford.