Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs has insisted that he wants to see one talented player under Erik ten Hag “enjoying his football” at Old Trafford next season.
Erik ten Hag will see Manchester United kick off their new Premier League season on Friday when they welcome Marco Silva’s Fulham to Old Trafford.
The 54-year-old United boss inked a contract extension with the Premier League club in the summer ahead of his third season at the Red Devils.
Ten Hag endured a tough second season at Old Trafford, with United suffering their worst league finish in the Premier League era.
Despite United’s eighth-place finish last season, the Red Devils signed off the 2023-24 campaign on a high note with their FA Cup final win in May at Wembley.
Ten Hag has also seen a massive shake-up to his coaching staff this summer, with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake arriving as his new assistant managers.
Giggs talks up Man Utd star
Speaking to the Webby & O’Neill YouTube channel, Ryan Giggs was asked about Marcus Rashford and what he needs to do to turn things around in the new season.
Giggs was assistant manager at United under Louis van Gaal when Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene in the Red Devils first team at Old Trafford.
Rashford saw his form fall off a cliff last season, with the United star only scoring seven times in 33 Premier League appearances.
The 26-year-old United forward’s disappointing run of form in the 2023-24 campaign saw Rashford miss out on a place in England’s Euro 2024 squad this summer.
Giggs has insisted that Rashford will be “disappointed” about his absence from Euro 2024 and argued the United star is “unplayable” in his best form.
“I think he’d be disappointed, obviously, getting left out in the summer,” he said.
“So, he’ll have a point to prove. I mean, we’ve all seen Marcus at his best. He’s unplayable.
“He just over the last year or so looks like he’s got the world on his shoulders. I want to see him, you know, enjoying his football.
“And, you know, I got told by Brian Kidd [Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant manager at Man United] when I was at a very young age, you know, you take a full-back on 10 times.
“You might get tackled nine times, but that 10th time you win the match. I’d very much like to see Marcus that, you know, if you do get tackled, if you do make a mistake, you go again and you go again because we all know that he’s got the ability.”
Giggs on Rashford and Garnacho
Marcus Rashford was in the form of his life in Erik ten Hag’s debut season at Old Trafford after he scored 30 times in 56 appearances across all competitions.
Ten Hag has kept faith with Rashford and has backed him to bounce back, despite the England star’s drop in form last season.
Giggs was asked if he could see Rashford lose his place in the starting XI if his form doesn’t improve amid Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning run at United.
The United legend waxed lyrical about Alejandro Garnacho’s impact at Old Trafford, but he has urged Rashford to fight for his place in the starting XI.
“Garnacho’s been a breath of fresh air,” Giggs continued.
“But also remember that he is a young player, and there will be dips, there will be, you know, you can’t expect him to be brilliant every game.
“So, Marcus has got to back himself and that this is what we want, you know, competition for places, not just in games, but every day in training.
“That’s what we had. You know, I don’t like going back to when we were playing, but every training session was a battle.
“[…] I wanted to get one over on Gary Neville, I wanted to get one over on Rafael da Silva.”
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