FORMER Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who signed Ryan Giggs as a teenager has given evidence at his Crown Court trial.

It has also heard from a friend of Giggs, who stepped down as Wales manager in June, how he believed Giggs would be "the first person" any player in the national squad would turn to for advice.

The Welshman, who broke into the United first team aged just 17 and continued to play for the club until he was 41, established himself as the side's most successful player during the period Sir Alex led the club.

The now 80-year-old Sir Alex was called by the defence to give evidence at Manchester Crown Court where Giggs denies using controlling and coercive behaviour against former Ellesmere College student Kate Greville, 38, between August 2017 and November 2020, assaulting her, causing actual bodily harm, and the common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, 26.

At court Sir Alex discussed how he had signed the "quiet" youngster and sought to "protect" him when the media described him as the "new George Best", which he described as a "big issue". The Northern Irish player had starred for United when the club won its first European Cup in the late 1960s.

Sir Alex told Chris Daw QC, defending, that he was manager for Manchester United for 24 years and “first got to know” Giggs when the youngster was aged 13.

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The Cardiff born player had moved with his family to Manchester at a young age and Giggs was playing for a local club and training at Manchester City’s ground.

Sir Alex said: “After that we visited his house to try to convince him to come to Manchester United. Myself and my assistant Archie Knox.”

Chris Daw QC asked: “Did you get to know him as a child during that period?”

Sir Alex replied: “His main contact was his mother. She was very good. Very accommodating. Ryan was a quiet boy. He just sat there listening to what was being said. His mum did all the talking.”

He said they spoke about the “ambitions” for the club.

Sir Alex said: “They (Manchester United) had been going through a bad period when I arrived at the club in 1986. We had a big job to do. We saw Ryan as one step towards a better situation in regard to young players.”

He also praised Giggs for his contribution in the dressing room and was asked if he was aware of Giggs having girlfriends.

“When we had dinners at the end of the season he would bring a friend with him, yeah,” replied the Scottish former manager.

He said Giggs played for Manchester United from the ages of 17 to 41 and had a “fantastic record”.

Sir Alex told the court: “When he got older the issue of the dressing room became – I used Ryan a lot in the sense of, when I lost my temper about performance I would use Ryan as an example sometimes.

“He got the sharp end of my tongue but I knew he could take it, he was strong enough.

“Everyone else in the dressing room would think: ‘If Ryan Giggs can take it, we can all take it’.”

He said Giggs had signed a schoolboy form with Manchester United before getting into the first team at the age of 17, when he took the view the player needed "protecting" from the media, telling the player's Cardiff born mum Lynne he would do so.

Sir Alex said: “That was was the first time we had to really think about looking after him.

“The thing was, the press started comparing him with George Best. We had to face a lot of attention on the boy.

“I said to his mother: ‘Look, if you are able to trust me I’ll look after him’.

“If any media came to him they had to come through me. We did this to protect him.

“When someone’s saying you’re the next George Best, it’s a big issue. But the boy was great, no problems.

“Any media who came towards him wanting to do articles had to come through me.”

Giggs had a “fantastic temperament” said Sir Alex who told the court: “To have a career as long as he had in a difficult position, in terms of energy, he fulfilled everything we ever wished for.”

Giggs was “without doubt the best example we had at the club” said the football boss known as Fergie who added “Everyone looked at Ryan Giggs as the number one.”

Asked by Giggs’ Mr Daw QC if he had ever seen him “lose his temper or become aggressive”, Sir Alex replied: “No.”

A statement from former Manchester United chief executive David Gill was read to the court.

He said he had known Giggs for “many years” since he joined the club in 1997 when the footballer was already at Old Trafford.

Initially, when Mr Gill was chief finance director he would see Giggs in match environments and club functions, he said.

He added: “It was not until later in our relationship when I began to deal with Ryan more frequently when I became chief executive in 2003.

“I began to deal with Ryan from a contractual perspective.”

Mr Gill said that towards the end of Giggs’ playing career he would be involved in discussions renewing his contract annually.

David Gill said he continued to see Giggs after he departed the club and retained a non-executive role.

He said: “To this day I still speak to him and see him occasionally on golf days.”

Mr Gill said he also crossed paths with Giggs when he was Wales manager at competition draws held by Uefa where he is an elected executive committee member.

He went on to state: “Ryan is a very likeable man, well-mannered, very professional.”

Mr Gill said Giggs took his job as a player and a coach “very seriously”.

He went on: “He is always very polite. I found him to be honest. You can trust what he said.

“I always found him to be a measured person … with a pleasant sense of humour.

“I know Ryan to be hard-working, dedicated and always willing to help and improve.”

He said Giggs was used to being in the public eye since he was a “young lad” and added someone cannot stay at the top of a profession “without controlling your emotions”.

Karen Baird, chairman of League Two club Salford City – which Giggs co-owns, also gave evidence.

Mr Daw asked her: “How would you describe his character generally?”

She replied: “Very much a gentleman. In meetings I find him attentive. Generally just polite and I have always got on well with him.”

Mr Daw asked the witness to describe his “general demeanour”.

Miss Baird said: “To be fair, he is always very calm. A gentleman. I have never seen him raise his voice.”

She was also asked how Giggs acted at social events when drinking.

Miss Baird said: “He has always been happy whenever I have seen him. Never a cross word with anyone.

“In the last Christmas party before lockdown he was dancing on a chair with Gary Neville (Salford City co-owner).”

Mr Daw asked: “Have you ever seen him lose his temper or be aggressive?”

“No,” said Miss Baird.

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Mr Daw went on: “In terms of your overview of him as a person, how would you describe him in terms of character?”

Miss Baird said: “I think he is a genuinely nice guy. One of the calmest people I have ever met. Very relaxed and laid back.”

A written statement from Giggs’ agent Rhodri Burgess was also read to the court.

He described Giggs as “calm, collected and peaceful, very friendly and very driven”.

Mr Burgess added: “Overall, he is a very relaxed character, always very generous and considerate, both with his time and money.”

He described a meeting when former Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward told Giggs he “might not have the experience to become the next Manchester United manager – a job he wanted at the time”.

Mr Burgess said: “He reacted calmly and courteously despite being actively criticised regarding his professional experience.”

He added that Giggs had been “highly disappointed with the way he was spoken to”.

The statement said Mr Burgess had been for drinks with Giggs on between 30 and 50 occasions and that “at no point has he been angry or aggressive when in drink or sober”.

Childhood friend Stuart Grimshaw describing, in his statement, how Giggs’ life “became a fishbowl” when he started playing for the Manchester United first team.

Mr Grimshaw said: “Throughout the time I have known Ryan, despite fame, he has always wanted a quiet life and tried to keep a low profile.”

He added that Giggs “has never been a person to believe the hype about himself and become arrogant”.

“I believe if you were to ask any of the players on the Wales squad, he would probably be the first person they would turn to for advice,” the statement read.

Mr Grimshaw added that in 40 years he had “never known him (Giggs) to be violent in any way”.

 

The trial has been adjourned until Monday morning.

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