What a wonderful performance it was last night by the legendary Ryan Giggs versus West Ham United. The 39-year-old used craft and guile to pull the strings at the Theatre of Dreams in the FA Cup Round 3 replay. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the Welshman after the game and he even indicated that the midfielder will continue on for at least another season at Old Trafford:
"He will play for another year. There are no discerning signs of tiredness or weakness in his game, his quality is still there and he has fantastic balance. He has the appetite for it and he is just an incredible human being."
- Ferguson | Source: MUTV
Giggs chuckled when hearing those comments from the gaffer and he responded this way:
"I don’t feel like that now!...I’m enjoying it more than ever at the moment, though. The FA Cup at Old Trafford... if you don’t enjoy it you need to pack it in."
- Giggs | Source: MUTV
For the run-in of the 2010/11 season -- one in which United won a record 19th top-flight domestic title while also reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League -- Giggs was superb as he had re-invented himself into a central-midfielder. Last season though, and for the early parts of this season, his form had dipped and some United fans weren't shy about letting their opinion be known that the Welshman shouldn't be on the pitch. That's understandable since no player, nor manager is above deserved criticism but it was a bit sad as well. Nonetheless, Giggs has put in some fine performances as of late and the one last night versus the Hammers was a treat to watch.
Quite honestly, Giggs has earned the right to go out on his own terms. He's the most decorated players in Premier League history and he's also one of the all-times greats in the history of both United and European football. If he does stay on though, hopefully his performances more resemble his recent ones from the past few weeks rather than his 2012 form. At the very least, his presence in the dressing room is likely invaluable and Fergie seems keen on keeping the Welshman for that possible reason. It's also a reason why the manager is hoping that Rio Ferdinand returns for at least another season.