Source: Daily_Mail
He has won it all but Manchester United great Giggs is still learning
Enlarge [LNB]Ryan Giggs dribbles between Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti during Manchester United's clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday[LNB] On the way back from Manchester United[LNB]European trips the scene at the front end of the club's charter aircraft is predictable.[LNB]Some of United's younger players will flip open their portable DVD players, headphones like metal dustbin lids. Others play noisy computer games.[LNB]Ryan Giggs tends to read.[LNB]At 35, United's most decorated player is removed now in some ways from those 10-15 years younger.[LNB]His spare time is spent learning a foreign language, having tennis lessons with his two children and taking care of a body that has now carried him through 789 United appearances.[LNB]At Wembley on Sunday, however, Giggs will be back on the right wavelength as he joins United's young players in the Carling Cup Final squad against Tottenham.[LNB]He may not start the game but it will be a surprise if he is not among the substitutes.[LNB] To those that Sir Alex Ferguson expects to take the trophy home - young players like Darron Gibson and Danny Welbeck - Giggs represents an inspirational figure.[LNB]Portuguese winger Nani, still struggling to impress on a regular basis, told Sportsmail: 'As soon as I arrived people told me how important, how special, Ryan would turn out to be for me. They were right.[LNB]'He is like a mirror for young players. We look at him and try to be the same. We try to mirror the quality of his passing and the pride he carries on to the field.'[LNB] Ryan Giggs on his first full start for United against Manchester City in 1991[LNB]Having spent one summer at Lilleshall, Giggs has already made a commitment towards earning his coaching badges.[LNB]With 18 months left on his United contract, the end of his career may not be that far away. However, his influence on United's youngsters has been felt for some time.[LNB] Ferguson said: 'He's part of the second unofficial tier of my staff, if you like. I do confide in him and I do take his advice. He understands the club and young players better than anybody.[LNB]'You give him a seven-day rest and he's like a young buck. Unbelievable. He's almost better than ever now. He has so much time on the ball, such is the level of composure he has reached.'[LNB]If Giggs gets on to the field at Wembley, it will be his 14th major cup final appearance and will cap a Carling Cup campaign to which - with three starts and one goal - he has already contributed significantly.[LNB]The fact that he may not signals only the increasing importance his presence is becoming in more important United games.[LNB] [LNB]For example, his start at the San Siro in midweek followed an unexpected but pivotal role in the 3-0 Premier League dismantling of Chelsea in January.[LNB] Unforgettable: Ryan Giggs beat Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record and got his hands on the European Cup on a famous night in Moscow last year[LNB]Ferguson would probably not admit it but Giggs has proved more durable and more influential on the field than the United manager perhaps presumed when the season began.[LNB]The signing of a recent one-year contract extension would appear to have rejuvenated him and as he gave Inter Milan's Esteban Cambiasso such a hard time in Italy on Tuesday night, it was difficult to believe it is 18 years this weekend since he made his debut as a substitute in a 2-0 home win over Everton.[LNB]Former United defender Clayton Blackmore, who played that day, said this week: 'When I was a kid all the people blocking my way into the team had muscles and hairy chests and huge thighs. Ryan wasn't like that but he got in there and he survived. That was down to the sharpness of his mind and his agility.'[LNB]Giggs spent the middle chunk of his career battling hamstring injuries, and though stories of him changing his car to a model with more practical seats have always been denied, the use of post-training ice baths and regular yoga sessions have certainly helped him.[LNB]Ryan Giggs was an FA Youth Cup winner with Manchester United in 1992 - the two lads behind him haven't done too badly either[LNB] Giggs said: 'I started yoga a couple of years ago. I used to miss 12 games a season because of injury. But yoga does seem to have helped. I've hardly missed a training session for two years.'[LNB]A Granada TV clip shows Giggs starring in an under 14 cup final at Anfield for Salford Boys.[LNB]Back then, his modus operandi was simple. Kick the ball past the opponent and run after it. He was so quick that it worked.[LNB]These days Giggs has learned to be a little more subtle as he has adapted to a place in the centre of United's midfield.[LNB]United director Sir Bobby Charlton, whose club appearance record Giggs broke in last season's Champions League Final in Moscow, said recently that a central role may actually have been the Welshman's most natural position all along.[LNB]There will be a few right backs who will perhaps wish it had been and former team-mate and current Wigan manager Steve Bruce said: 'He can play in every position now. He has learned to pick a pass. His assists are exceptional.[LNB]'And he has kept that humility as well. That's special because it enables you to keep learning.'[LNB]As he sits in his London hotel room it is odds-on that Giggs will have his language books out. Still learning.[LNB]But at Wembley, Giggs the student will revert to Giggs the teacher. Whatever role he plays in the game.[LNB] ALL THE WEEKEND'S CARLING CUP FINAL AND PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM NEWS[LNB]Modric v Ronaldo - Will the Spurs star or United golden boy deliver the Carling Cup? Our boffins investigate[LNB]A trip down memory lane with Manchester United and Spurs[LNB]MANCHESTER UNITED FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NET[LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
