Fledglings change their game to adapt to passing of the years

The longevity of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville is one of the wonders of the modern game, writes PAUL WILSON

BAYERN MUNICH have made five managerial changes since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s “Football, bloody hell” moment in 1999 left their players so poleaxed on the Camp Nou pitch that Pierluigi Collina had to persuade some of them to get up again to restart the game.

Every member of their squad that night has since retired from playing or moved on from the club.

There is nothing particularly unusual about that. Bayern’s turnover is just about par for the course, yet what has happened over the same 11-year period at Manchester United is remarkable. Not only do they still have the same manager, Alex Ferguson’s 24 years in charge being one of the wonders of the modern game, but at Bolton on Saturday they were able to call on three of the players who had featured in their historic treble success.

Only Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs actually played in the Champions League final against Bayern, Paul Scholes famously missing it through suspension, but all three were influential at the Reebok Stadium. Giggs even laid on the opening goal.

While the trio are in their mid-30s now and have started only six games together in the past three years, their importance to United’s current campaign goes far beyond the sentimental. Ferguson rested Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Park Ji-sung and Michael Carrick at Bolton in order to be able to name his strongest possible side in Europe, something he was only able to do because he had complete trust in his senior players’ ability to bring their enormous experience to bear.

“Between them they’ve got lots of experience and that’s the vital thing,” Ferguson said. “They also have good composure in possession and they know how important it is to keep hold of the ball.”

All three have had to change their game subtly to adapt to the passing of the years. Giggs, the player Scholes imagines will be remembered as the best of the lot when they have all retired, has probably enjoyed the most success, cutting out the lung-bursting sprints and concentrating instead on a shrewd ability to make the right run at the right time.

Scholes has been forced backwards, to a position where he cannot score as many goals and consequently feels he is not contributing as much as he should, although his manager rarely complains.

Neville, as a defender, is arguably having the hardest time of all in keeping up with younger, fitter opponents, but he still managed to get forward to good effect when he faced Milan’s Ronaldinho in the last round of the Champions League.

Perhaps this longevity is simply a reflection of the depth of talent available for Ferguson to mine from the renowned 1992 youth team (although Scholes only joined that squad a year later, with Phil Neville), and perhaps it is the case that the last three of Fergie’s Fledglings to leave the nest have simply never wanted or needed to play their football anywhere else.

Yet in the modern game, three one-club players lasting two decades at the top and winning everything in sight is a wonder in itself.

Apart from Neville, Scholes and Giggs, there are only five others who have represented a single club more than 100 times in the Champions League.

The three players are also in United’s top five for all-time appearances. Giggs is at the top, having sailed past Bobby Charlton’s record of 758 and off into the 800s, while after Charlton and Bill Foulkes come Scholes and Neville. Giggs may never become quite as iconic a figure in English football as Charlton, being born Welsh proving something of a handicap in that respect, yet in terms of achievement and honours he seems likely to be just as revered by generations to come.

Whether he, Neville and Scholes start or play a role from the bench tonight at the Allianz Arena, their experience will continue to be invaluable as United seek a different treble this season.

• Guardian Service

Probable line-ups

Bayern Munich
Hans-Joerg Butt;
Daniel van Buyten
Holger Badstuber
Martin Demichelis
Philipp Lahm;
Franck Ribery
Mark van Bommel
Thomas Mueller
Danijel Pranjic;
Miroslav Klose
Ivica Olic

Manchester United
Edwin van der Sar;
Gary Neville
Patrice Evra
Rio Ferdinand
Nemanja Vidic;
Nani
Darren Fletcher
Paul Scholes
Park Ji-Sung;
Wayne Rooney
Antonio Valencia