Bale no match for Giggs, says Ferguson
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
LONDON (AFP) - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes Tottenham Hotspur's Gareth Bale still has a long way to go before he can be compared to Ryan Giggs, ahead of Sunday's encounter between the sides.
Bale is Giggs' heir in the Wales national side and the fleet-footed left-winger has already scored nine league goals this season, including a fine individual effort in Spurs' 3-2 win at Old Trafford in September.
Giggs, however, had already accumulated three league titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup by the time he was Bale's age, and Ferguson believes the Giggs of the early Premier League years had no equal.
"It is all opinions I suppose," Ferguson said. "The boy is a good player.
But Ryan Giggs at 23? I don't think there was anyone better." Now 39, Giggs produced another age-defying display in the mid-week FA Cup win over West Ham United, which saw Wayne Rooney mark his return from injury with a goal before blazing a second-half penalty over the crossbar.
