Giggs Rift - Just Rubbish

Sir Alex has left a 33-year-old winger out of the team three days after the Chelsea game, one week before the crucial match against Benfica. Rift?

Really, I hate media's ever-present intention to stir up some trouble. We all remember how they reported Edwin van der Sar had fallen out with Fergie and that's why he had missed the Arsenal game. Now it's Ryan Giggs' turn to be involved in this kind of stupid speculation.

United's 33-year-old winger had been left out of the team that faced Everton yesterday and the vultures began to circle at once, reporting all kind of obnoxious rubbish about a rift between the boss and his longest-serving player.

Fergie, of course, explained his decision after the 3-0 victory and I daresay that made much more sense than all the speculation.

'Ryan is an important player for us and we have to pick our moments with him,' said Ferguson.

'We cannot expect him to keep running up and down the touchline all the time. He is 33 now, we have to look after the older members of the species.'

Anybody with the slightes common sense could have told the journalists as much. Really, what would have caused a rift between them? Fergie lambasted Ryan's performances? I doubt it as the Welsh Wizard is one of our most impressive players this season. Giggsy's not pleased with the number of games he's getting? He'd been rested at Copenhagen but otherwise he was never left out of the team when fit. His lifestyle? Ryan desperately wanted to play against Everton? Why? He played against them more than enough times and he can be pretty sure he will be restored to the team on Saturday for the visit to Middlesbrough.

Oh, of course it's possible Giggs criticised his team-mates in some never-publicised interview. But he's no Roy Keane and we are not 13 points behind Chelsea.

God, I'm stupid. I should never have gone into explanations, I should have said it's all just rubbish.

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