Paul Scholes believes Danny Welbeck is the ideal man to nullify the threat of Italian playmaker Andrea Pirlo during England’s World Cup opener against Italy.
Scholes has warned Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson against underestimating 35-year-old Pirlo on 14 June and suggested Welbeck should replicate the role played by Park Ji-Sung against Pirlo’s AC Milan in 2010.
Park, then playing for Manchester United, man-marked Pirlo out of the game to help his side ease past AC Milan (7-2 on aggregate) in the last 16 of the Champions League.
“Park Ji-Sung was the perfect man for Pirlo in 2010 and never gave him a kick,” said Scholes.
“You could even see Pirlo getting frustrated and having little kicks out by the end.
“For Manaus we need an ‘English Park Ji-Sung’ – one England player to man-mark him and looking at the squad Danny Welbeck – a good defender who can nick the ball well – could be an option.
“And he would be a bold decision, one which gives England a creative outlet and saddles Pirlo with defensive work.”
Scholes regards Pirlo as the world’s best playmaker and has reminded Hodgson how impressive his performance was at Euro 2012 when Italy knocked England out in the quarter finals.
He added: “Even though England’s 2012 game against Italy finished 0-0, we paid nowhere near enough attention to him.
“Pirlo is not renowned for his athleticism, and he’s 35 now, but that day he ran 11.58 kilometers, more than any England player.
“He also had more passes [131] than England’s four starting midfielders.”
