Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs has paid tribute to teammate Paul Scholes following the midfielder's decision to retire.

The 38-year-old announced his decision to stand down following a 20-year spell at Old Trafford, accumulating 717 appearances for the Premier League champions.

"He's a brilliant player to play with and it has been a pleasure over the years," Giggs told MUTV. "He's just a pleasure to play with – someone who, as a forward player, you knew if you made a run, he would play you in.

"You wouldn't even have to break stride as you knew the pace of the pass would be perfect and he'd put it where you wanted it to be put. He is just an amazing player and an amazing person."

This is the second time that Scholes has retired from the game. In 2010 he hung up his boots, but returned to the first team at the request of manager Sir Alex Ferguson in January 2011.