Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has revealed that he has stepped away from television punditry to provide round-the-clock care for his 20-year-old son Aiden, who has non-verbal autism. The former England midfielder, who won 25 trophies during his playing career, has not featured as a pundit for TNT Sports since the Europa League final in May.
Scholes, who split with his wife Claire in 2020 after 27 years together, explained that his daily routine now revolves around Aiden’s needs. In an interview on The Overlap, he described a strict schedule that includes swimming, pizza, and weekly trips to Tesco for chocolate. ‘He doesn’t know what day of the week it is or time. But he’ll know from what we’re doing what day it is,’ Scholes said.
The 49-year-old shared the difficulties of caring for a non-verbal son, including a recent incident where Aiden had a toothache but could not communicate the pain. ‘He can’t tell you what’s wrong or got pain anywhere … That must have been horrible for him,’ Scholes recalled, noting that they had to resort to a special needs dentist who used gas to treat the issue.
Scholes, who rarely discussed his private life during his career, now regularly posts about his time with Aiden on Instagram. He said the positive response from other parents encouraged him to continue sharing, though he only shows the ‘good bits’ to avoid broadcasting difficult moments.
The former midfielder also admitted that balancing his playing career with Aiden’s care was challenging, recalling a time he felt unable to focus on a match against Derby County. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson dropped him the following week after Scholes eventually confided in him.
