Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs had once tipped “an exciting player” to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham when it came to free-kicks.
Ryan Giggs shared a close friendship with David Beckham at Old Trafford and came through the Manchester United youth academy alongside him in the 1990s.
The two aforementioned United legends were part of the famed ‘Class of ‘92’ stars who broke out into the first team under iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
One of United’s legendary No 7s, Beckham was a devastating winger in his prime and the former England captain excelled from direct free-kicks.
Fast-forward from Beckham’s superstardom success at Old Trafford and Giggs witnessed first-hand the meteoric rise of fellow United legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sir Alex Ferguson brought Ronaldo to the Red Devils in 2003 from Sporting CP and the 40-year-old Portuguese forward had a sensational first spell at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo, much like Beckham, excelled as a winger in the Premier League and the Al Nassr superstar also produced some stunning moments from his free-kicks.
What was Ryan Giggs’ Man Utd prediction involving Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham?
Ryan Giggs was a player-coach in his final season at Manchester United and later took charge as interim player-manager after David Moyes’ sacking in 2014.
The 51-year-old Welshman, who spent his entire legendary playing career at Old Trafford, would retire as a footballer at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
Louis van Gaal replaced David Moyes as United manager in 2014 and Giggs became assistant manager under the former Ajax, Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss.
The former United manager signed fellow Dutchman Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven ahead of his second – and final – season in charge at Old Trafford.
Memphis Depay, who completed a £31m move to the Red Devils in 2015, made a real name for himself with PSV Eindhoven before his sensational transfer.
The 31-year-old Dutch attacker followed in the same legendary footsteps as Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham by inheriting United’s iconic No 7 shirt.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Ryan Giggs had tipped Louis van Gaal’s signing to be a free-kick specialist at United and he would “score 10 free-kicks every year.”
“He is the type Old Trafford will warm to,” he said, as per The Independent in 2015.
“He’s an exciting player, but there’s also substance behind it. He was [the] top scorer in the Dutch league and got plenty of assists as well.
“He’s a ‘United’ type. Our fans demand exciting players, players who can get them off their seats and score spectacular goals.
“One thing we probably have lacked since Cristiano – and Becks [Beckham] before him – is free kicks. And it looks like Depay has a great track record from free kicks as well.
“Over a season, if you can score more from free-kicks and corners it adds up and makes a real difference in winning games.
“So, no pressure…but hopefully he’ll score 10 free-kicks every year.”
The Man Utd numbers for Memphis Depay aged poorly after Ryan Giggs’ major prediction
Memphis Depay failed to live up to the high expectations placed on him at Old Trafford and he spent two seasons at the Red Devils before he was sold to Lyon.
Louis van Gaal was sacked as United manager in 2016 and replaced by Jose Mourinho, with the ‘Special One’ deeming Depay surplus to requirements.
According to both Statbunker and Transfermarkt, Depay failed to score from a single direct free-kick during his time at the Red Devils after his move from PSV Eindhoven.
Depay, who is now at Brazilian side Corinthians, managed only 53 appearances for the Red Devils and he scored seven times and picked up three assists for the club.
The Netherlands international would turn his fortunes around at French side Lyon and later went on to play for Spanish sides Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/Lo2EtDV