Last updated on .From the section Football

Scholes played alongside Tevez at Manchester United between 2007 and 2009

Paul Scholes says he understands why Manchester City's Carlos Tevez apparently refused to warm up against Bayern Munich.

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Scholes was unwilling to play in a League Cup tie in 2001, having been dropped for the previous game against Liverpool.

He stated what he did was "equally bad if not worse" than Tevez's situation.

"I know Carlos quite well. He's a player who wants to be playing," Scholes told BBC Radio 5 live.

"When he's a sub, it will be killing him.

"It's totally up to the manager but Carlos wouldn't have been thinking that. He'll be thinking, 'The manager is against me, why is he not bringing me on? I'm City's best player and he's not playing me'.

"I'm not saying he [Tevez] is right - it's totally up to the manager."

PAUL SCHOLES CAREER FACTFILE 676 Man Utd appearances, 150 goals

66 England caps, 14 goals

Premier League winner: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

FA Cup: 1996, 1999, 2004

Champions League: 2008

League Cup: 2009, 2010

PFA Team of the Year: 2003, 2007

18th highest scorer in Premier League history (102 goals)

4th most-booked player in Premier League history (87 yellow cards)

Scholes, 36, refused to play for Sir Alex Ferguson after being selected in a weakened team for a November 2001 League Cup defeat by Arsenal, a day after being dropped for a Premier League defeat by rivals Liverpool.

And he added: "You think you should be playing and my head was all over the place. I thought he [Sir Alex Ferguson] was messing me about, wrongly really. It's up to him what he does with his team.

"I realise it was stupid. I let the manager down and it was something I regretted. It's probably similar to Carlos Tevez's state of mind if it is true he refused to come on."

Scholes insists he apologised to Ferguson soon afterwards and was fined a week's wages.

He said: "Considering what I did, the manager was well within his rights to sack me and do whatever he wanted me to do with me.

"I went to apologise as soon as I realised I'd made a massive mistake.

"He fined me the maximum and that was it - the story was over and I think I played the next game."

The former England international retired in the wake of United's Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in May to take up a coaching role within the backroom staff at Old Trafford.