Robbo on Ryan at 40

November 29, 2013
Posted by Steven Tan | Source from ManUtd.com
Bryan Robson played at United until he was 37, in which time his career overlapped with Ryan Giggs' emergence. Here, Robbo explains why Giggs is still playing today...
 
People ask whether I can believe that Ryan Giggs is still playing, and my answer is that, yes, I can believe it because I remember him coming through as a 17-year-old and it didn't matter what distance he ran, he was just an unbelievable athlete.
 
The one thing you have to do if you want to prolong your career and play to an old age is dedicate yourself and that's exactly what Ryan has done. His diet, his yoga and pilates... he's done all these different exercises to keep himself on top of his fitness. It doesn't surprise me that he's still doing the business.
 
I had a great experience when I came through the ranks at West Brom with all the senior pros. I was the only young player coming through but the experienced lads always looked after me and gave me good information about what to do. I took that on board and because people looked after me, I wanted to give advice to the likes of Ryan and Lee Sharpe, when they came through, to help them go on and become top players.
 
Everyone really respects Ryan. You can talk about how he looks after himself and trains well, but what you also need to play for Manchester United for so long is a really strong mentality. Sometimes people forget about that. Ryan has the whole package and that's why he's the most decorated footballer in Britain, ever. It'll be very difficult for anyone to surpass him and what he has achieved.
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