Ryan Giggs: I almost quit

On the eve of his 900th Manchester United appearance, Ryan Giggs has revealed that a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson dissuaded him from retiring at the end of last season following a stuttered start to the 2010/11 campaign.

The veteran, who hopes to become the first and only Red to join the nine-ton club against Ajax on Thursday, says a hamstring injury coupled with his advancing years meant he considered calling it a day last term, but admits the lure of pulling on the red shirt maintained his desire to continue.

"When to retire is difficult. Do you quit too early or go that one too many games and let people see you on the slide? It’s hard for me, even with my experience, not to play or be involved and last season was difficult before Christmas," the Welshman told The Telegraph during an exclusive interview.

"I didn’t play many games, I had a hamstring injury and had a chat with the gaffer, saying I was frustrated, but he said I would get my games. I was thinking maybe it could be my last season, but towards the end, I didn’t want the season to stop."

Giggs also expressed his immense pride towards reaching the 900-game landmark and explained why a move into central midfield has aided his longevity at Old Trafford. However, United’s leading appearance-maker admits the question of when to retire still plays on his mind.

"Retirement is just a decision that I have to take my time with because I feel different after each game. After the 3-3 game at Chelsea recently, it was a really hard game, but I felt brilliant afterwards.

"Yet there have been other games when I haven’t felt so good. After the game at Arsenal, I didn’t feel so great, so it’s swings and roundabouts. You can’t decide after one game. It’s just something I really need to think about and take my time over.

"Moving into central midfield has definitely helped me. I had a taste of what it was like on the wing against Liverpool on Saturday and it’s just completely different – it’s a different game because you are up and down all the time.

"When I played on the wing, I would feel absolutely knackered after games. I obviously come off tired after games now, but not as tired as I used to be when I was a winger. Not many players get to 900 games, so to play at United for that amount of time and games is something to be proud of."

While Giggs has won almost everything in the game, one trophy that eludes him is the Europa League and, despite the obvious disappointment of this season’s early exit from the Champions League, the Welshman says he is desperate to add the competition to his vast medal collection.

"There is definitely a sense that it would be great to win because it is something I have never won. It was disappointing to go out of the Champions League, you never want to go out, but we’re out of it and there is nothing we can do about it, so let’s go and win the Europa League now."