Manchester United legend Paul Scholes is enjoying watching football as a fan once again.
After hanging up his boots, Scholes has undertaken a new venture as co-owner of Northern Premier League club Salford City, along with his former United teammates Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville.
Salford managed to grab the headlines recently after claiming a shock FA Cup First Round victory over Football League side Notts County and ahead of the club's second round encounter against Hartlepool United on Friday, Scholes has revealed that he is enjoying viewing football with an emotional and vested interest once again.
Scholes said: "When you've been playing for 20 years you lose that feeling of being a fan. It's a different type of passion. Of course you want to win and you want to celebrate when you're doing well. But against Notts County, it reminded me of being nine years old and going to watch Oldham and then their FA Cup and league runs in the 1990s. It felt like those days again.
"When you're playing, you're so engrossed in winning a game, thinking about the other players you're up against, thinking about the fact that you don't want to let your team-mates down. It's so much more relaxing being a fan.
"You don't really get nervous, that feeling in the stomach; though, I suppose we had it a little bit for the Notts County game in those last 15 minutes, when you're trying to hang on. And I'll probably get it again on Friday night. But it's not your reputation or your performance to be relied on. It's everybody else's, which takes a bit of the pressure off you."