An FA statement read: “Paul Scholes has been charged with misconduct in relation to The FA’s betting rules. It is alleged he placed 140 bets on football matches, contrary to FA Rule E8, between August 17, 2015 and January 12, 2019.

“He has until April 26, 2019 to respond to the charge.”

Scholes was Oldham manager for a month before quitting in March, saying his position at the League Two club had become untenable.

He made 720 appearances for Manchester United in all competitions, winning 11 Premier League titles. He also made 66 appearances for England, scoring 14 times.

Meanwhile an FA hearing that cleared Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey of making a Nazi salute said in a written report that the player had shown a “lamentable” ignorance of Adolf Hitler and fascism.

In reasoning published on the FA website, the panel set out why the Wales international was cleared after being pictured with his right arm in the air in a photo posted on Instagram by his German team-mate at Palace Max Meyer.

Hennessey had said he was simply raising his right arm to attract a waiter’s attention, while also cupping his left hand over his mouth to make his voice carry.

The photograph prompted an outcry on social media and the FA charged the 32-year-old with a breach of its rules relating to abusive, insulting, or improper conduct and bringing the game into disrepute.

In his defence, the South London club produced further photographs showing the goalkeeper making similar gestures during matches while shouting at team-mates.

“Mr Hennessey categorically denied that he was giving a Nazi salute,” the written reason stated. “Indeed, from the outset he said that he did not even know what one was.

“Improbable as that may seem to those of us of an older generation, we do not reject that assertion as untrue.

“In fact, when cross-examined about this Mr Hennessey displayed a very considerable — one might even say lamentable — degree of ignorance about anything to do with Hitler, fascism and the Nazi regime.”