Ryan Giggs reckons Manchester United’s recruitment process in recent years resulted in the club missing out on some legitimate superstars.
United were well aware of the potential of both Gabriel Jesus and Kylian Mbappe for some time but, according to Giggs, his former side rejected the opportunity to sign them.
During his time as Louis van Gaal’s assistant at Old Trafford, Giggs was tasked with scouting talent and he recommended that the Dutchman sign up Jesus, who was then at Brazilian outfit Palmeiras, and Mbappe, who was flaunting his talents at Monaco.
“I watched Gabriel Jesus play three years ago. I watched Mbappe for a year. I was watching them with the scout and it was a no-brainer,” Giggs said in an interview with The Times.
“It was just like ‘get them’. It would have been £5 million or something – get them, loan them back – and that’s where the recruitment could have been better.”
Jesus ultimately signed for United’s arch-rivals Manchester City for a fee believed to be in the region of £27 million and the Brazilian has since gone on to score 17 goals in 35 appearances while Mbappe remains on loan at Paris Saint-Germain but the Ligue 1 powerhouse could end up paying as much as £165 million to make the Frenchman’s stay at Parc des Princes a permanent one.
Giggs was frustrated after his advice was ignored by van Gaal, whose transfer policy left several supporters scratching their heads.
Van Gaal brought in a grand total of 13 players in his two seasons in charge and while the likes of Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and Marcos Rojo remain mainstays under his successor, Jose Mourinho, nobody needs to be reminded of how Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria and Memphis Depay fared with the Red Devils.
“I thought I was in with a shout,” Giggs said of his candidacy to replace van Gaal when he was sacked. “But the club were in a difficult situation. They had fallen down the pecking order, so do they go for someone who – and it winds me up saying this – hasn’t got experience as a manager or do they go for a winner?
“They went for a winner, in Jose, a win-at-all-costs type of manager. Is Jose a typical Manchester United manager? Probably not, but United were in a situation of ‘How quickly can we get back to the top?’ I totally understand that. I just felt I could have brought continuity. I knew the players. I know what a Manchester United player looks like.”
