News
Giggs proud of United youth
Ryan Giggs was proud to watch a host of young Reds make their mark during Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Hull City, continuing Manchester United’s illustrious history of promoting from within.
The interim manager handed first-team debuts to livewire winger Tom Lawrence and 18-year-old striker James Wilson, who scored two impressive goals before leaving the action on the hour mark to a standing ovation from delighted fans inside the Theatre of Dreams.
Speaking to MUTV afterwards, Giggs was asked if it is a match he will look back fondly on in years to come. Rather than focusing on his second-half cameo, possibly his last outing as a player at Old Trafford, he was more inclined to praise his talented youngsters.
“Yeah it is,” Ryan answered. “Obviously I managed to get on the pitch but I think the main memory will be the youngsters coming on and doing so well. Manchester United always give young players a chance and it’s up to them to take it. They certainly did that tonight.
“I wasn’t happy with Saturday’s result [against Sunderland] and the performance. I wasn’t angry, I was just gutted after doing so well the week before. I just wanted to freshen things up a bit. The fans recognise young players and will give them a chance if they make a mistake and they took their chance.
"Michael Keane, Tom and James have been at the club since they were nine and Adnan Januzaj since he was 16. It was brilliant to see and they deserve all the plaudits.
"James didn’t surprise me," he insisted. "I wanted to play Marouane Fellaini up with him to add a bit of presence and take the pressure off him a little bit. It worked well, they linked up for the first goal and it was great to see James score the two goals."
Tuesday’s comfortable win over Hull also saw club captain Nemanja Vidic make his final appearance at Old Trafford before joining Inter Milan in the summer, replacing the injured Phil Jones in the first half to produce a typically steadfast performance in defence.
"He played in the last two games so I was only intending to bring him on in the last 10 or 15 minutes," admitted Giggs. "He came on earlier than we expected because of Jonah’s injury but he didn’t put a foot wrong like he’s done over the last eight years. He’s been a brilliant player for us and a brilliant defender."