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發表於 2005-8-24 08:25 PM
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傑斯將很少機會再以翼鋒姿態上陣
Giggs' wing play could be a thing of the past
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted the sight of Ryan Giggs charging up and down the left wing for Manchester United will become increasingly rare.
Giggs only signed a new two-year extension to his Red Devils contract in May, yet he is now facing the toughest challenge of an illustrious career just to break into Ferguson's first-choice line-up on a regular basis.
The 31-year-old was only a substitute for the FA Cup Final defeat to Arsenal as Ferguson trusted Cristiano Ronaldo with the left-sided berth Giggs has made his own since he burst onto the scene as a raw teenager back in 1991.
And the summer arrival of Park Ji-sung from PSV Eindhoven only appears to have limited Giggs' options still further, with the South Korean impressing in Ronaldo's absence in United's two Barclays Premiership games so far.
Ferguson will probably hand Giggs his first senior appearance of the campaign in tomorrow's Champions League qualifier with Hungarian minnows Debrecen.
But the Scot admitted he is thinking about shuffling the Wales skipper into another area of the field in a bid to ensure he is still an influence when his extended contract expires in 2008.
'Ryan is only 31 and he can still do great things for us,' said the United boss.
'Whether he will be going up and down the left wing every week is another matter.
'He can play in other positions and maybe his later years will be spent up front, operating behind the main striker.
'He has done that many times in the past and that role could be the best way of conserving his speed and energy.'
With Ronaldo even more likely to play than Giggs according to his manager, the precise nature of United's attacking line-up remains to be seen.
If both men start, it seems unlikely Park will retain his place, leaving the choice between Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney for the most forward berth in Ferguson's three-man offensive formation.
Further back will be Alan Smith, the man Ferguson insisted was bought solely as a striker when he initially unveiled his £6million capture from Leeds 12 months ago.
Now, Smith has become the latest player to be given a chance to fill Roy Keane's massive boots.
All pre-season Smith operated in central midfield and with Keane left behind in Manchester to rest his 34-year-old body, Ferguson's experiment with the combative Yorkshireman gets its first meaningful test.
'Someone will have to replace Roy eventually,' said the Red Devils chief.
'We have always had an ability to manage situations like this before, such as when Roy took over from Bryan Robson. It is part of the history of our club.
'Alan has great character, he is a great personality and a very committed player.
'Most of all, he is very enthusiastic to play in the position. He is relishing the challenge, so we are giving him an opportunity to see what he does.'
When United last appeared in the Ferenc Puskas stadium three years ago, Wes Brown suffered a broken ankle on a badly-rutted pitch which Ferguson believed was a major factor in Zalaegerszeg's stunning late win.
Ferguson suffered an unwanted sense of deja-vu in the Hungarian capital this evening to find a surface so sodden he was forced to move a scheduled training session to a small stadium nearby.
Heavy rain also prevented Debrecen, who moved the tie to Budapest because their own home ground is inadequate for such a massive match, from having a run-out this evening, although with dry weather forecast for tomorrow, Ferguson remains unconcerned.
'The surface is actually in better condition than it was three years ago,' he said.
'The rain has helped and I don't anticipate changing my team because of it.'
With a three-goal cushion from the first leg, clinching a place in Thursday's group stage draw should be a formality for the visitors, who will recall Brown and Gabriel Heinze as Mikael Silvestre and John O'Shea picked up minor injuries in the weekend win over Aston Villa.
However, Ferguson is anxious not to offer Debrecen the goal which could bring them back in the tie and insists he will not take their challenge lightly.
'I have never been complacent in my life and I don't intend to start now,' he said.
'They are a good side and we have to be sensible about how we go about things.' |
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