Giggs backs Ole to remain at United

JOHANNESBURG－Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs on Monday backed caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to permanently take the reins at Old Trafford, but called its upcoming Champions League match against PSG a "big ask".

"I can't see anyone past Ole at the moment. The record they've had in the league has been phenomenal," Giggs said of his ex-teammate at a Champions League trophy tour event in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"It's a tough league and to put together the run that he's done, it's impressive. The Liverpool game, OK it wasn't one of the best performances but they dug out a result."

United will face an uphill struggle on Wednesday when it confronts an invigorated PSG side, which leads 2-0 from the first leg.

"With the injuries we've got, the position we're in, going to Paris is a tough place to go," Giggs said.

"Away from home has been very good－and they've been fine at Old Trafford－but the really impressive performances have been away from home.

"The players they've got are suited to playing away from home. It's a tough ask, but not impossible."

Giggs, who won the 1999 and 2008 Champions League titles, now coaches Wales.

The former wing wizard stepped straight from the pitch into United's backroom staff as an assistant to David Moyes in 2013. When Moyes was fired, Giggs took over as caretaker boss before moving fully into coaching at the club under Louis van Gaal.

Giggs reckons this season's Champions League is "the openest I've seen for a long time".

"You've got the usual Barcelona, Real Madrid hanging about and Juventus, who I think a lot of people strongly fancied at the beginning," said the 45-year-old.

"If PSG goes on to beat United I fancy PSG to do well. Atletico (Madrid) looks strong and was in a good position against Juventus.

"I think it's really open－it's tough to pick out one team."

Cardiff-born Giggs, whose paternal grand-father is from Sierra Leone and identifies as bi-racial, said a recent run of racist incidents in European soccer is "not just a football issue".

Several prominent matches have been marred by the throwing of banana peels and anti-Semitic chanting in recent months.

"Until you address it socially, you're not going to get it out of football. But football does a lot of great work. I think football has a big responsibility," he said.

Giggs said he was "all for VAR" following the introduction of video assistant referee technology for the first time in the Champions League. "There's gonna be some teething problems; I think what they've got to address is the speed," he said.

"When you're a fan, not knowing what's going on at the stadium, you need to address that."

AFP