He has an awareness of what's happening around him on the edge of the box which is better than most players. As a kid he always had a knack of arriving in the penalty area just at the right time, but he's proving just as effective from outside the box because he's using his experience in the right way. It doesn't matter who I am thinking about bringing into my midfield, Paul Scholes will be included, as he would in any side in the world.

Look at me – it's taken 10 years off me today. It's these tablets, they're great!

Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.

I tried it 100 or a million times it couldn't happen again. If I could, I would have carried on playing.

Scholes was probably the best English midfielder since Bobby Charlton. He was such a brilliant long passer that he could choose a hair on the head of any team-mate answering the call of nature at our training ground. Gary Neville once thought he had found refuge in a bush, but Scholesy found him from 40 yeards. He inflicted a similar long-range missile strike, once, on Peter Schmeichel, and was chased round the training ground for his impertinence. Scholesy would have made a first class-sniper.

But there is always that unpredictability about a derby match and that's what it was today.

Her Majesty said she hoped I would have time for my horses - I own two and have shares in four.