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Ryan Giggs delivered a “spine-tingling” team talk before his debut as interim Manchester United manager, according to goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard. The speach was reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson, said Lindegaard, who believes the interim manager has the potential to become the new Pep Guardiola. #INSERT type:image caption: Ryan Giggs' impressive debut vs. Norwich has some asking if he can be the next great manager at Manchester United.END#
Lindegaard was named on the bench for Giggs’ first game in caretaker charge and said he was inspired by the words the 40-year-old Welshman spoke to his players before Saturday’s 4-0 win over Norwich. He is convinced that Giggs, who played under Ferguson for 22 years, has many of the traits of the retired Scot.
“Ryan Giggs has always held a kind of professional distance to his team-mates,” said Lindegaard in his column with Betfair.com.dk. “He opened his mouth, when it was relevant, and people have always listened.
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“What we have seen in the first week has been more than convincing and the parallels with Sir Alex Ferguson are striking. It is clear that Ryan Giggs has been learning from history's most awe-inspiring football manager."
Guardiola is the rare case of a manager who was appointed by a major club without serving an apprenticeship elsewhere. Lindegaard believes Giggs, who has made 962 appearances for United but has never served as manager, could emulate the former Barcelona leader who now is the boss at Bundesliga power Bayern Munich.
“It probably sounds rather naive and impetuous, and I understand people's scepticism about any conclusion drawn from the results of four workouts, a game and a day off, but to me we are dealing with a new Guardiola," said Lindegaard, who believes the 40-year-old has the ability to go from being a player to the manager without causing problems in the dressing room.
“Some might question whether it can work to go from being a team-mate to the manager from one day to the next," said the Dane. "Normally, I have my reservations, but in Giggs' case, it is another matter.”
Meanwhile, Juan Mata, who scored twice against Norwich, has thanked former manager David Moyes for bringing him to Old Trafford. The Spaniard became United’s record signing when he joined from Chelsea in January for 37.1 million pounds.
Mata wrote in his blog of Moyes, “I wish him and his technical staff the best of luck in the future, and I do thank him for his continuous interest in me and his importance during my transfer to become a Manchester United player.”