Ryan Giggs stunned Gary Neville in a game for Manchester United's U15's (Image: Getty)
Gary Neville has shared a recollection of his first time witnessing Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs play - admitting he "absolutely killed" the opposition. Chatting in a special Transfer Window edition of The Overlap alongside Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher, the trio delved into which player stood out the most during their first training session.
Neville, who remembered being overwhelmed by Ruud van Nistelrooy's incredible striking prowess initially opted for the Dutch forward, who is now an assistant coach at United. However, he eventually settled on his ex-teammate for two decades as the player who astonished him the most when he first saw him perform.
Speaking about choosing Giggs from his wealth of memories, the Sky Sports commentator said: "The most shocked I've ever been at seeing a player first time was Ryan Giggs at 15 playing against Lilleshall." He recounted his experience saying: "I was sub for United's U15 against Lilleshall, he absolutely killed them, I mean literally killed them.
"I might have been a year younger and I thought 'what the hell, I've never seen anything like that', so Giggs was the one time I've ever been shocked in my life at a player. I thought that's ridiculous." Neville had quite the disappointing weekend after witnessing United succumb to a last-minute 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton on Saturday (August 24), marking their first loss of the Premier League campaign, reports the Mirror.
The former England ace pointed an accusing finger at Casemiro for Joao Pedro's last-gasp winner, admitting that the defeat heaps significant pressure on United manager Erik ten Hag as the side gears up for a colossal match against Liverpool at Old Trafford. "Really depressing end to the game," he lamented on NBC Sports.
Gary Neville initially chose Ruud van Nistelrooy as the player that shocked him the most (Image: The Overlap/YouTube)
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"I thought a draw would've been half acceptable but to lose the game, it puts an awful lot of pressure, I think, on Erik ten Hag and on towards the game next week against Liverpool." He also criticised the team's defensive tactics, adding: "Then in the second half, the first goal as well was poor defensively, that last goal, I've just watched it then coming up to the gantry.
"When you clear from a corner, you've got to still defend as you're defending the second phase of a corner. I think particularly if you watch Casemiro, it looks to me, I've only watched it once back on the replay, it looks like he leaves his position at that back post and runs back towards central midfield."
