There are few midfielders to have graced the game that have been superior to Manchester United legend Paul Scholes.

The ginger maestro was central to the era of dominance ushered in by Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring big goals and controlling United's midfield for practically two decades.

His passing was crisp and pinpoint accurate - he probably could have hit a five-pence piece from 100 metres away.

One key aspect about Scholes' immense passing range was the fact that he was always looking to go forward.

Rarely did you see the Englishman take the easy way out by stroking the ball sideways, he was always looking to instigate attacks from deep.

Back in 2011, Scholes made a 10-minute cameo against Arsenal in the FA Cup and in such a short space of time, he encapsulated everything that United's midfield of present is missing.

A video of his short but sweet performance was posted yesterday by @utdxtra and it was quickly appreciated by Red Devils fans.

VIDEO

The caption reads: "1st pass - Sublime 50 yarder. 2nd pass - Defence splitter. 3rd pass - Unbelievable. The man was a genius."

The third on the half-volley is technique of the highest order.

What is also noticeable from the video is the predatory movement of Wayne Rooney up top - although his finishing was far from immaculate on the day.

Anthony Martial could certainly learn a thing or two from United's record goal scorer. Maybe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should make him watch the video on a loop before games.

But even if Martial were to mirror the illusive brilliance of Rooney, he'd probably be left waving his arms in frustration after not being found by a teammate.

Only Paul Pogba has the passing repertoire to get anywhere near the level of Scholes in the current Red Devils setup, but he seems unable to deliver it with regularity when fit.

United called Scholes out of retirement once, maybe the 45-year-old needs to lace up his boots one more time to help out his ol' pal Ole...