There's every chance Ryan Giggs will play an important
role against Arsenal on Saturday. He was given the day off for the
trip to Wigan after his unrewarded efforts against Burnley in
midweek. It's another sign of Sir Alex using the wise wisely.
Life at Old Trafford without Ryan Giggs in the
first-team is almost unthinkable. But in the summer you'd perhaps
been forgiven for thinking this was his victory. One last hurrah.
After all, he's nearly 36 and has clocked up a lot of miles over 20
years as a professional. But judging by his displays against
Chelsea, Birmingham and Burnley, I don't think that's the
case.
It's incredible to think that Giggs had a testimonial eight years
ago this month - a 4-3 defeat to Celtic in August 2001. It's
usually an indicator of a career nearing its end. It was nothing of
the sort.
Giggs is in his 20th season as a United first-teamer - making his
debut against Everton at the end of the 1990/91 campaign in the old
First Division (!) - and he continues to push the boundaries of his
evergreen talents.
He races past appearance landmarks effortlessly, and his
still-energetic displays consistently belie his age. That's partly
because he's the consummate pro. He said recently he gave up the
drink years ago, took to eating fish in an ultra healthy diet and
still does yoga - which solved his previous susceptibility to
muscle pulls, hamstring strains in particular. He has absolute
respect for his physical condition.
At 35, he's United's oldest outfield player. His contract runs
until the end of the season, but I think he can easily play on for
another year after that, until summer 2011, at which point he'll be
just a few months shy of his 38th birthday.
The longer Giggs carries on, of course, the more time he'll
require to recover between games, but his influence is invaluable
no matter how sparingly used. His input is especially needed as Sir
Alex continues to blood up-and-coming young players.
His popularity and infuence in the dressing room is essential.
Alongside fellow first-team patriarchs Gary Neville and Paul
Scholes, Ryan sets the tone for standards expected at United, on
and off the pitch.
To the likes of Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Jonny Evans,
Darron Gibson, Rafael, Fabio and the emerging crop now in the youth
and Reserve sides, the benefits of having Giggs there to observe
and learn from are immeasurable.
But he's more than a mere figure head. Much has been said about
adapting his game to suit his physical strengths as he gets older,
evolving from rampaging winger to composed midfield playmaker and,
perhaps more and more this season, impact sub. It's a role Ole
Gunnar Solskjaer mastered, studying games from the bench,
understand what's required in particular stages of matches, then
applying it on the field.
There are online campaigns and petitions to 'get Giggs knighted',
and you can argue such a title would be wholly deserved. His
talents have kept him at the top of his profession for two decades
- a feat only a select few greats achieve.
Having a ‘Sir’ on the team-sheet would seem out of the ordinary,
but then we're not talking about an ordinary player. And the longer
he's around the better it is for United.