Giggs to capt Man United

2005-08-23 21:29

Budapest - Ryan Giggs will captain Manchester United against Debrecen in their Champions League qualifier in the absence of Roy Keane on Wednesday after being reassured over his future at the club by manager Alex Ferguson.

Giggs, 31, has been absent from United's competitive games this season due to a virus, allowing the South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung to make an early impact following his summer move from PSV Eindhoven.

But with United defending a 3-0 first-leg lead ahead of the return in Budapest's Ferenc Puskas Stadium, Ferguson has insisted that Giggs still has a major role to play at Old Trafford.

Ferguson said: "Ryan is only 31 and he can still have a great influence on the team. He has just been unlucky to have missed the first two weeks of the season with a chest infection.

"Maybe he won't charge down the wing every week as he used to. But I see him playing his remaining years up front behind the strikers. He has done it many times before and he has the speed and energy that you need to do well in a position like that."

Ferguson, who had to cancel a planned training session at the stadium on Tuesday night due to the state of the pitch, claims that United are strong enough to challenge for both the Premiership and Champions League titles this season.

- AFP