Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes turns down Oldham job

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes says the lure of the Oldham job proved difficult to turn down but ultimately 'the timing was not right'.

Scholes was linked with the role following the departure of former Latics boss Lee Johnson for League One rivals Barnsley last week.

Oldham chairman Simon Corney said talks had taken place with the 40-year-old over the vacancy at Boundary Park.

Scholes declined the offer claiming he could not commit his full focus to management at the moment, but hopes to lead the club in future years.

"It is no secret that Oldham Athletic were interested in appointing me as Lee Johnson's successor at the club, and it was an offer that really tempted me,” Scholes told The Independent.

"Even as I watched them in the Port Vale game on Tuesday, having made my decision not to take the job, there was part of me that wished I was in the dug-out.

One day I believe that I will manage Oldham, the club that my dad supports and who are very close to my heart.

"I will be a manager one day. I have come to see that over the last eight months, although I know that I first said that I did not see my future in coaching. And one day I believe that I will manage Oldham, the club that my dad supports and who are very close to my heart.

"They are a really good family club who mean a great deal to a lot of people - myself included. I just did not feel this was the right time. When I go into management, I want to do so with 100 per cent commitment.

"At the moment I have a lot of responsibilities and things going on in my life that I cannot simply drop immediately. Most importantly I have a young family who need their dad around, having been away a lot during my playing career.

"There was no way, for example, I would ever have tried to combine a coaching job with my work on television.

"Managing a club like Oldham has to be an all-absorbing, seven days a week commitment. That is how Lee made such a success of it. One day I will be ready to do that. This was the right job, just at the wrong time."