Paul Scholes is hoping Samir Nasri will join Manchester United after claiming the midfielder's current club Arsenal 'flatter to deceive'.

Nasri's future at Emirates Stadium is uncertain as he has just one year remaining on his contract and is wanted by United and local rivals City.

Reports have suggested that the France international is keen to move to Old Trafford amid claims the Premier League champions will offer £20million.

And, when asked if Nasri was coming to United, Scholes said: "I hope so."

Scholes retired from playing at the end of last season and enjoyed plenty of battles with Arsenal during his glittering career.

However, the former midfielder says Sir Alex Ferguson would "not allow" United to go six years without a trophy, as has happened at Arsenal.

"They just flatter to deceive," he said.

"They may play the prettiest football, but it doesn't always produce the results they need. It doesn't irritate me that people say they're the best footballing team because while they are doing that, we (United) are winning games.

"They do play the best football to watch at times, but what is the point of that if you are not winning anything? Not only that, they are potentially going to lose their best players in (Cesc) Fabregas, (Samir) Nasri and (Gael) Clichy.

"I don't think our manager would allow this club to go six years without a trophy."

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has revealed the club are hopeful of agreeing a deal for Manchester United defender John O'Shea.

The Black Cats have made a triple bid for O'Shea and United team-mates Darron Gibson and Wes Brown as they look to bolster their squad.

United are ready to let the trio move on as they have slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

A number of other Premier League clubs have been credited with an interest in utility man O'Shea, but Quinn is optimistic he can lure his fellow Irishman to the Stadium of Light.

"We are in there trying hard for John and will see if something can unravel. We feel it is getting closer," Quinn told the Irish Daily Mirror.

"John had good family news in the last few days with the birth of his child. We've had to back off which is only correct. But the players are back in and we will see if something can unravel."

Arsenal and Stoke are both reported to be interested in O'Shea and Quinn is not surprised Sunderland face competition for the Republic of Ireland international.

"There is interest, naturally. All you can do is make your own pitch but we would love if John chose us," added Quinn.

Quinn admits there is still work to be done on luring Gibson to Wearside after holding talks with the midfielder.

He continued: "That one is a little bit further away. We would certainly still like it to happen but we will have to see."

ManUtd.com's Adam Marshall salutes two departing stalwarts, Wes Brown and John O'Shea...

Dependable, loyal players don't often hit the headlines in these days of flashy foreign imports and agent-driven transfer-seeking stories.

Wes Brown and John O'Shea will receive their share of column inches in the newspapers but not as much as the sagas dragging out on the back pages with fans eagerly anticipating the next big name to be linked with United and the other top clubs.

But all those at Old Trafford truly recognise the contribution of the two defenders to the sustained success under Sir Alex Ferguson and their willingness to accept the squad system that has reaped dividends over the years. There was an understanding of the bigger picture and the need to put the team first which allows the boss to pull off the balancing act of challenging for trophies on all fronts.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall 'tabloid blasts' from either of the pair when they have been left out of big matches or failed to hold down a regular place in the side. It must have hurt Brown, in particular, when he was used so sparingly last term due largely to the emergence of Chris Smalling and development of the twins, but he didn't whinge about it.

Indeed, handed a start against Crawley in the FA Cup as captain in February, his first since mid-November, Wes responded by scoring the winning goal. O'Shea was also handed the armband for the Champions League semi-final second leg slaughter of Schalke and described it as the highlight of his season.

The loyal pair deserve fond farewells from the United fans. Some critics on message boards and social networks may have complained when seeing the names of Brown and O'Shea on the team-sheet but these people fail to appreciate the value the players provided. When O'Shea anchored a makeshift midfield against Arsenal in the FA Cup, the naysayers were up in arms but he played his part in striking a significant psychological blow to the Gunners.

Yet, in this period of change at the club, my personal thoughts drift further back than last season when recalling the moments that stick with me regarding Sunderland's new signings.

I first watched Brown live in the FA Youth Cup at Watford and remember telling my father afterwards that he and defensive partner John Curtis would 'make it' in Manchester. I can still see in my mind's eye Brown making a mug out of Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on his Premiership bow and being reassured that Sir Alex had some centre-back on his hands.

Another vivid memory of Wes came from close quarters at Villa Park, as he made a comeback after his latest long spell on the sidelines due to injury. A 40-60 challenge quickly materialised and you could almost sense a natural twinge of self-doubt before he launched into a ferocious tackle that former Reds boss Ron Atkinson might like to call a 'reducer'. It spoke bucketloads about his character.

O'Shea's magical moments are obvious - the last-gasp winner at Anfield, the sublime lofted finish at Arsenal, nutmegging Luis Figo and terrorising Newcastle at St James' Park from left-back. His versatility was so important, keeping a clean sheet at Spurs when donning the gloves and coming on as centre-forward against Reading to emphasise the fact that he is the ultimate squad player.

Some fans will crave big-money signings and glamorous names but it's players like Brown and O'Shea who have proved so vital to ensuring United have enjoyed regular success. I wish them the very best at Sunderland, a fine, proud club, and know the Stadium of Light faithful will surely afford them the support and adulation they deserve.

It's good business for Steve Bruce and the players can look forward to regular first-team football. There's a real end-of-era feeling thanks to Edwin van der Sar, Owen Hargreaves, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, O'Shea and Brown all departing, but the next wave of senior professionals are already firmly established as Sir Alex expertly ensures his squad evolves and adapts to the changes.

And at least Ryan Giggs is still around to keep the ties with the past still firmly alive and others will no doubt step up to the plate to cement their own place in United's history.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes age is not an issue when it comes to Manchester United new boy David De Gea.

With Edwin va der Sar having hung up his gloves, the Red Devils have turned to De Gea in their hour of need.

A big-money deal has helped to lure the Spanish shot-stopper to England, with his former employers Atletico Madrid pocketing around £18million.

Filling Van der Sar's boots will be no mean feat, with the Dutchman having become something of an Old Trafford icon during his days with United.

As if the pressure of stepping into that void, at a club the size of United, is not enough, De Gea is just 20 years old.

Many would buckle under the weight of expectation, but Ferguson is convinced he has snapped up a talented youngster who has his feet firmly on the ground and is blessed with an abundance of talent - much like a pre-Chelsea Petr Cech.

He said: "I went to see Cech when he was at Rennes. He was 19 and I said to myself: 'Yeah, he's too young'. But Chelsea bought him not long afterwards for £7m or something and he's never been out of the team.

"So youth, age, it doesn't matter when you have the ability of a goalkeeper like Cech or, we know, David De Gea has.

"He's young, quick and has fantastic presence and composure. His use of the ball is outstanding."

De Gea is yet to join up with his new team-mates, but he is due to jet to America over the weekend and could be handed an immediate opportunity to impress in United's friendly date with the Seattle Sounders.

Ferguson, who is also waiting for England U21 international Phil Jones to arrive in the States, added: "Obviously De Gea joins us in Seattle, along with Jones, so it will be good to get them involved right away as we're not too far away from the start of the season, so we've a bit of work to do there.

"They are the future of the club. The likes of Chris Smalling, Jones and Jonny Evans - we've got the three best centre-backs in the country, young ones.

"I watched the England U21 games against Spain and they did very well. I had five players, including De Gea, in the game, so it was of interest to me.

"That's what we're always trying to achieve, a foundation. And we have one that's very strong."

Skysports.com understands that Bolton are interested in signing young Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck on loan this season.

The 20-year-old is one of six frontmen at Sir Alex Ferguson's disposal at Old Trafford, having returned from a season-long loan stint at Sunderland last term.

Welbeck has hinted he is keen to break into the manager's first-team plans at United after spending most of his career away from the club.

But Ferguson has already indicated that he might struggle to keep his entire strike-force happy, with last season's first-choice partnership Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez expected to put Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Federico Macheda and Welbeck in the shade.

The Trotters are reportedly poised to pounce for Welbeck if the manager chooses to send him out on loan again after he impressed at the Stadium of Light, scoring six goals.

But Bolton could face competition for Welbeck following speculation that Steve Bruce is keen to keep him with the Black Cats for another season.

Welbeck made his United bow two months short of his 18th birthday and scored on both his Premier League and FA Cup debuts, then started the 2009 Carling Cup final win over Tottenham.

But that was arguably the high point of his Old Trafford career so far and he has not featured for his parent club for a year and a half.

Bolton boss Owen Coyle reaped the rewards of signing another youngster, Daniel Sturridge, on loan from Chelsea last season.

The 21-year-old was on target with eight goals in 12 appearances for the Premier League club and has also been linked with a return to the Reebok Stadium.

Managers in the Barclays Premier League will be free to rotate their squads next season without fear of reprisal.

A key rule change means clubs will no longer be punished for making wholesale changes and fielding weakened teams as long as they use players from within their 25-man squad registered at the start of the campaign.

It may come as a relief to those involved in European competitions but it is too late to help Blackpool, who were fined £25,000 last season after Ian Holloway made 10 changes for a midweek game at Aston Villa last season, three days before a match at West Ham.

Holloway reacted angrily, tendering his resignation and insisting the players were from his first-team squad and therefore capable of playing without damaging the integrity of the competition.

‘I’ve got every right to do what I like,’ he fumed at the time. ‘Who the hell are they to tell me my players are not good enough?’

Blackpool were relegated in May after one season in the top tier but last night applauded the change, passed at the Premier League’s AGM by the 20 clubs who will contest next season’s competition.

Club secretary Matt Williams said: ‘I don’t expect we will get our £25,000 back or any form of apology but I am glad to see common sense has prevailed.

‘Our plight really did highlight the deficiency of the rule. The team we had out that night had more Premier League experience than the team for the previous fixture and subsequent fixtures.’

The Premier League studied Holloway’s team selections for two months before deciding Blackpool had fielded a weakened team at Villa Park and distorted the integrity of the competition.

Wolves were found guilty of a similar offence in 2009-10, when manager Mick McCarthy rested his regular first-team players at Manchester United, a game they lost 3-0, and recalled them for the visit of Burnley, which they won 2-0.

Wolves were hit with a £25,000 suspended fine, but this was before the introduction of the 25-man squad rule.

Chief executive Jez Moxey said: ‘We are very comfortable with it. It seems a long time ago now, to be honest. We fully support the Premier League.

‘We must protect the integrity of the League but at the same time we must allow our managers to make selection decisions as they see fit. We need to get the balance right and this solution makes sense.’

Ultimately, the Premier League clubs have accepted Blackpool’s argument that, if clubs register a squad, those players should be free to play in the competition without the Premier League deciding they are not good enough.

The rule has not been scrapped, however, and clubs will still risk a charge if a manager selects a team packed with players from the limitless Under 21 list rather than the senior 25-man squad.