Ryan Giggs: Young players at United must seize their chance when they get it
Ryan Giggs has urged Manchester United's youngster to seize their chance under Louis van Gaal.
Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs has urged the club's youngsters to seize their chance to impress boss Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman has promised to give a number of the junior players opportunities on the pre-season tour to the United States as he is keen to re-establish the production line from the academy to the first team.
And Giggs, who is one of the most famous examples of that progression, has some words of advice for those travelling to America.
"Young players might come on tour thinking they'll not get many minutes but then suddenly there'll be an injury to a senior player," he told manutd.com
"The young player might then have a 10 or 15-minute cameo, play really well, get into the team for the next game and do really well again.
"So the tour is definitely an important stage for the young players to make their mark.
"I think you've seen a lot of players play well in pre-season and take that into the first part of the season.
"It's a massive thing as an individual to get the best out of yourself.
"If you can get off to a good start it gives you confidence so you definitely can't take the pre-season games lightly.
"Gone are the days when you'd play easy games - every match is tough."
Giggs is starting his second full year as assistant at Old Trafford but newly-appointed Holland manager Danny Blind - whose son Daley is a United player - has said he turned down the chance to be reunited with Van Gaal last season.
"I had a fantastic offer from Manchester United," Blind, who was assistant to Van Gaal for Holland's 2014 World Cup campaign, told Algemeen Dagblad.
"There were talks about United and Van Gaal a couple of times last year but I rejected that.
"If you have ambition, what is more beautiful than becoming manager of your country?"