Are the United "Old Boys" still capable of producing the goods at the top?

Barney Cotton by Correspondent Written on September 25, 2008
Ryan-giggs_feature

As a diehard Manchester United fan it is hard to come to terms with such great players that I have grown up watching and admiring, coming to the late autumn of their careers.  As every English football fan will know the famous "Class of '92" will live forever as one of the greatest influx of talent into the Manchester United first team squad of all time.  The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Keith Gillespie, Robbie Savage and David Beckham.  Now that over half have moved to different clubs only three remain.  They are all in their thirties now and with less and less appearances available to them the question that has been talked about is that, are they still able to produce the goods?  This also goes for our current "number one", Edwin Van Der Sar.

Ryan Giggs

This man can be considered to be one of Manchester United's all-time greats.  The clubs leading appearance maker with 764 appearances and counting has been a stalwart in the United line-up for over seventeen years.  However, he is no longer the player he once was.  With age catching up with him and no longer being able to use that blistering pace that terrorised countless defences across the world, can Giggs still cut it at the top?

Well, I believe that at the end of next season he should retire and become part of the coaching staff, like what they have done with another United legend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  This would help our young batch of talented players coming through the youth system at the moment deal with all the pressures of being a Premiership football player and how to be a true professional.  I believe he should step aside and let Nani become the main left midfielder to help his development and hopefully see some improvement from him.  However, he still has something to give for the next few seasons and could easily become an impact player in a big game or be used from the start for experience in the Carling Cup, FA Cup or even the Champions League (when facing much less opposition).  However, on the basis on recent performances, he is low on form and if it should not improve he should retire and be remembered as a United legend that will never be forgotten.

Paul Scholes

In my opinion, the most underrated player of all time.  He has the ability to pass and shoot from any position with ease and control the tempo of the game.  I believe that he still can cut it at the top.  He might need to play around twenty five games a season to keep his fitness up and be able to withstand the demands of a season but nevertheless he is still a top player.  However, I believe that if he wishes to join Oldham, United should let him go as a reward for being a great servant for the club.

Gary Neville

The Club captain and one of the best right backs ever to play the game.  I will keep this one short and sweet.  If he can stay injury free he can keep going for another two or three seasons.  However, one more long term injury and he will probably need to retire.  Having only just come back from injury I can’t

Single Page
Vote Now! - Author Poll

Can the old boys still cut it?

  • Yes
  • No
vote to see results
Results - Author Poll

Can the old boys still cut it?

  • Yes

    100.0%
  • No

    0.0%
  • Total votes: 4
(1)
...
Share This  
Crop_45x45
or to post this comment

2 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment

Loading more comments...
posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

113
reads

2
comments

written on September 25, 2008 Preview/Prediction

Telegraph.co.uk Football News

Visit Telegraph.co.uk for more news.

The best Manchester United newsletter on the web

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address


CBS Sports Official Partner
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.