The Daily Times

LONDON — Exactly 22 years ago on Saturday, a lithe 17-year-old wearing a baggy shirt and hitched-up shorts ran on as a substitute at Old Trafford to make his Manchester United debut.

Having excelled at youth team level, the kid was already being spoken about in glowing terms. English soccer was expecting big things.

He has been worth all the hype.

His hair now thinning on top and specks of gray forming above his ears, Ryan Giggs will pass another milestone in his extraordinary career if he appears for United in Tuesday’s Premier League match against Real Madrid after being rested during ManU’s 4-0 win over Norwich Saturday. United manager Alex Ferguson said Friday that Giggs would definitely be involved in one of the matches — and has decided to make sure the 39-year-old midfielder is fresh for the last-16 second leg at Old Trafford next week. The match is delicately poised at 1-1 after the first leg in Madrid. Tuesday’s match could well be his 1,000th senior competitive match — and the superlatives for the 39-year-old Welshman have long run out.

“Everyone should take an example of Ryan Giggs because what he has done is really, really wonderful, amazing,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Friday.

Managers, players and teammates have been effusive in their praise all week. Swansea manager Michael Laudrup labeled him “pure class.” United defender Rafael da Silva went as far as saying Giggs “is such a good player it is getting boring.”

Perhaps Giggs can be best summed up by his manager Alex Ferguson, who has carefully nurtured the midfielder into arguably the most consistent player in the Premier League’s 21-year history.

“He is a marvelous player and an exceptional human being,” Ferguson said Friday, moments after United rewarded Giggs for his continued outstanding displays with a new one-year deal. “He seems to reach a new milestone every week. It’s unique in the modern game, but I think it’s more than that — I don’t think it will ever be achieved again by anyone.”

Changing his game

Ferguson once said Giggs, as a 13-year-old, seemed to float across the field “like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind,” and it is still true to this day — even at the relatively venerable age of 39.

Giggs no longer has the stamina to produce lung-busting performances every week. Instead, his games are carefully selected by Ferguson and the end product remains the same.

Giggs started in central midfield last week against Queens Park Rangers, lasted the whole game and popped up with the second goal in the 80th minute in a 2-0 win.

Manchester City signed the youthful Giggs to its center of excellence but he somehow slipped from the club’s grasp after being watched in matches by scouts from United, which offered him a schoolboy deal in 1987. He was 14 at the time.

“I told him this morning I expect a bill from his mother for all the sandwiches and teas she used to make for us when we went to his house every week when we were trying to get him to sign schoolboy forms,” Ferguson said Friday. “It seems a long time ago.”

Giggs has gone on to become the most decorated player in British soccer history, winning 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Champions Leagues, one UEFA Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.

He has played 931 matches for United — scoring 168 goals, including five this season — 64 times for Wales and made four appearances for Britain at last year’s London Olympics, his first major international tournament.

“I am feeling good, enjoying my football more than ever and, most importantly, I feel I am making a contribution to the team,” Giggs said.

Starting out as a fast and tricky winger, Giggs has had to refine his game to stay competitive. He now plays more often than not as a playmaker in midfield or as a more conservative wideman, relying on technique and a reading of the game more than pace.

Welsh FA President Trefor Lloyd-Hughes said he wouldn’t be surprised if Giggs went into coaching with Wales or United.

“Some years ago, we thought about Ryan coming to help and I’m sure he would come and help if asked because I think Wales is very close to his heart,” said Lloyd-Hughes, speaking on the sidelines of the International Football Association Board annual meeting in Edinburgh.

United 4, Norwich 0

Shinji Kagawa scored a hat trick Saturday as Manchester United kept its firm grip on the Premier League title with a 4-0 win over Norwich at Old Trafford.

The Japan international put United ahead with a deft volley right before halftime and then added two more well-taken goals in the second half to make sure United extended its lead over Manchester City to 15 points ahead of its crosstown rival’s game against Aston Villa on Monday.

Wayne Rooney capped off a dominant display with a looping long-range strike into the top of the net in the 90th minute as United warmed up for its Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

However, the scoreline flattered United as the last three goals came in the final 14 minutes and the hosts had looked below par for much of the game until then.

Kagawa, however, showed that his back to his best after struggling with a knee injury earlier this season as he became the first Asian player to score a hat trick in the Premier League.

“It was a brilliant day for him,” United manager Alex Ferguson. “He is a good finisher. His second goal was composed and intelligent, his last was brilliant.”

The first one came after Antonio Valencia floated a left-footed cross toward Robin van Persie, whose attempt to control the ball only deflected it toward Kagawa, whose shot caught goalkeeper Mark Bunn by surprise as it crept in at the near post.

Rooney set up the second when he sped into the box and laid the ball off to Kagawa, who calmy sidefooted it inside the near post. His third finish was equally clinical, again taking a pass from Rooney and chipping the ball past Bunn.

The best goal of the day still belonged to Rooney, who collected the ball outside the area, drove past a defender and then unleashed a fierce strike that a diving Bunn could only flap at before seeing it land in the top of the net.

Despite United’s massive lead in the standings, Ferguson is also choosing to wait before declaring that the title race is over.

“The best way for us to handle it is to win our games,” Ferguson said. “If we win our next game, then the next, we don’t need to look back. There is a great atmosphere in the dressing room. That is helping us.”