Ryan Giggs spent a year scouting Kylian Mbappe before the French star’s breakthrough at Monaco, before urging Manchester United to secure his signature. Now, the Real Madrid forward is rated among the best players on the planet and is pushing hard to guide France to World Cup glory.
It has been a long tradition at Manchester United to sign and develop the best young talent, but the club has also regrettably missed out on many players.
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a minority owner at United and took control of football operations, Ineos have also prioritised younger players in the transfer market, making multiple academy additions since 2024, such as Chido Obi and Sekou Kone.
However, with Kylian Mbappe starring at the 2026 World Cup, it’s time to look back at when Ryan Giggs revealed he spent a year scouting the French superstar while working as Louis van Gaal’s assistant at United.
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Ryan Giggs recommended two forwards for Man Utd, including Kylian Mbappe
Van Gaal spent nearly two years at Old Trafford as United manager.
During that time, assistant manager Giggs was sent on scouting missions to help identify emerging talent for the future.
The most decorated footballer in English football history did an interview with The Times in 2017 when he shared details of his scouting trips.
Giggs admitted he told United to sign Mbappe and Gabriel Jesus years before they became breakout stars.
“I watched Gabriel Jesus play three years ago,” Giggs said at the time.
“I watched Mbappe for a year. I was watching them with the scout and it was a no-brainer.
“It was just like ‘get them’. It would have been £5m or something – get them, loan them back – and that’s where the recruitment could have been better.”
United’s recruitment under Van Gaal was heavily scrutinised. It included signings such as Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Anthony Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin and Radamel Falcao (loan).
“I know what a Manchester United player looks like,” added Giggs.
“There have been a lot who have come through that haven’t been United players and also players who were United players and shouldn’t have left.
“I’m talking about Rafael [Da Silva], Danny [Welbeck], and Jonny Evans – players who are United through and through.
“It was hard because Louis had his own ideas and you had to respect that, but, yes, we had a few arguments about a couple of them. He understood because I had played with those lads, but they just weren’t for him.
“Some of them, like Welbeck, wanted to play more regularly, and Jonny had a few injuries at the time, so you could understand it, but – and it’s not saying it in hindsight – recruitment hasn’t been great either.”
Since leaving Palmeiras in 2017, Jesus has played in the Premier League for Man City before joining Arsenal in 2022.
Meanwhile, Mbappe is among the best players in the world, and has scored eight goals at the 2026 World Cup to help France reach the semi-finals.
Giggs would have scouted Mbappe between 2014 and 2015 when the French forward was only 15 or 16 years old at the time, in Monaco’s youth setup.
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Ryan Giggs spent a year scouting Kylian Mbappe as a teenager
- The former Manchester United winger and coach recommended the club to sign Mbappe as well as Gabriel Jesus
- Giggs was Louis van Gaal’s assistant at the time
CAPTION THIS… Picture from when Andrey Santos came up against Aurelien Tchouameni on international duty
An old school Caption Competition 🏆
Gabriel Jesus’ record against Man Utd
Since Jesus has spent most of his professional career in England, it’s interesting to look at his stats against United.
Jesus has played against United 16 times, though he has only managed to score one goal, from the 2023/24 season.
When you look at some of the strikers United have signed in recent years, it’s not hard to imagine Jesus being a better option than quite a few of them.
It goes without saying that Mbappe would have been a star at Old Trafford.
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