Source: Daily_Mail
JAMIE REDKNAPP: Age is no barrier for Manchester United's golden 'boy' Giggs
A friend of mine watched Ryan Giggs on Sunday and said: 'He gets better and better.' No, I replied, he's always been that good.
What a player he continues to be. Age is no barrier. He's fit, carries no weight, has an understanding of the game and an appreciation of the ball.
His secret is his yoga and the core strength work that has helped him overcome his early hamstring problems - but he also has a manager who manages him right.
Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't flog him. He has a programme of games and will keep to that. He could tell you the games he will play in the next six and those for which he will be rested.
Giggs has been there in the last two, sadly for Tottenham and Manchester City. Interestingly, after a spell in central midfield, he has returned to his old stamping ground on the left, where his ability to run from in to out with the ball was mesmerising.
Restored to the left flank for two important victories, he showed how much he still has to offer his team. It's not just his pass-per-game ratio that impresses, but his key passes and the weight of them. Ask Wayne Rooney about playing with Ryan Giggs and he'll tell you.
Then there are his free-kicks. He's first pick now, after being understudy to David Beckham and then Cristiano Ronaldo. Now he's the one causing maximum damage from set plays with his accuracy.
I saw him after the Spurs game and he is an example to all with the way he carries himself. He had his picture taken with my son, Charley, who now wants me to show him how to bend the ball like Ryan. Some chance!
At his best, when I played against him, he was like a slalom skier, dancing past defenders as if they were flags on a slope. He'd throw a dummy that would send you so far the wrong way, you'd need to pay to get back in.
Now the game has changed and the midfield is more congested with teams playing 4-5-1, but he has adapted his game and looks every bit the modern player, even though he is 35.
His manager is lucky. He has Ryan as a minder in the dressing room. He also has Paul Scholes and Gary Neville as his foot soldiers, spreading the message, raising the standards and reminding the young players of their responsibilities.
I look at a young man like Anderson, who has all the ability to be another Scholes and a really top player.
I'm not sure he has the right application yet but he could do a lot worse than follow in the footsteps of Giggs. With Ryan there as an example, United's future is in safe hands.
My Top Ten Stars
Sportsmail has asked me to pick the best 10 players I played with, or against, in my career. It's not easy. But here's my best shot....
1. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Liverpool versus Manchester United games were never the friendliest and they often had the edge on us - too often - he was one of the reasons why. A flying machine back then.
Thierry Henry is No 2 in Jamie's list of players he's lined up with or against
Second-placed: Thierry Henry is No 2 in Jamie's list of players he's lined up with or against
2. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
The best player of the Premier League age. Speed, movement, finishing. Just a wonderful footballer. He was so quick too and his arching runs from the left made him difficult to pick up.
3. Zinedine Zidane (France)
I played against him for England and didn't get near him all game. He's quicker than he looks be drifts into space and away from you. The closest I got to him was when we swapped shirts at the end.
4. Paul Gascoigne (England)
That ability to wriggle out of danger with the ball, to show you the ball and then shift it away. When he scored his goal for England against Scotland the inspired the Dentist Chair celebration, that was genius.
5. John Barnes (Liverpool)
I loved playing alongside him in central midfield for Liverpool. His positional play and his awareness with the ball was something special. He was a top quality footballer.
6. Alan Shearer (England)
Powerhouse of a centre forward. It was not just his goalscoring and his finishing - he had an amazing shot - but it was his heart that is best depicted by his defending from set plays when he guarded the near post with his life.
7. Patrick Vieira (Arsenal)
If some of the Arsenal lads now feel hard done by with some of the tackles they have been receiving, they should watch old videos of Vieira. Those long legs would stretch out and go through you. Try getting around him!
8. Paul Scholes (Manchester United)
He would slice you in half too. People talk about his mistimed tackles, but I used to think he knew what he was doing. He could really hurt you with and without the ball with his third man running. Top quality.
9. Roy Keane (Manchester United)
Like Vieira, he took no prisoners and in the match-up before the game, you always told yourself that defeating Keane was the only way to win the game. He ran the midfield, he was a monster and his passing was underestimated.
10. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
When I first stood next to him in the tunnel, the first thing you notice is his size. A huge man, as well as a player with a wonderful box of tricks. It was in the early days of his move to England, but his power was evident then.
