Ruud up there with the best

RYAN GIGGS has played alongside the good and the great during an illustrious career at Manchester United.

Eric Cantona, Mark Hughes, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Teddy Sheringham have thrived on the Welsh international's service and the man himself believes Ruud van Nistelrooy measures up in that master class of strikers.

The 26-year-old Dutchman an £18.5million buy from PSV Eindhoven 15 months ago scored twice in the 3-1 defeat of Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

It brought his tally to eight this season in Europe's top club competition and an overall total of 18 in 19 appearances.

Van Nistelrooy has now scored 52 goals in 68 games since arriving at Old Trafford a phenomenal record.

Giggs said: ''I have been privileged to have played with a lot of good strikers, and Ruud is up there with them.

''The thing too is that he is still young and is going to get better.

''Playing with the players he has around him, he is always going to get chances.

''You have to try and improve each season, and he is improving all the time. That has showed in the goals he has scored this year.

''He got two great goals against Basle two different goals. One was a poacher's goal and one he made himself.

''Ruud has a bit of everything. He can also dribble and is prepared to take players on.''

Phil Neville believes van Nistelrooy was made for Manchester United.

''His is the hardest position to play at the club because the pressure is always on to score goals,'' said the long-serving defender.

''Ruud absolutely thrives on that.

''Since he pulled on a Manchester United jersey, he looks like he was made to play for this club.

''You can tell by the way he plays he enjoys it as well. He can become one of our greatest strikers.

''Like all great strikers he has this self-belief that he is going to score. The last two games he has scored five goals and shown everyone what a world-class player he is. His all-round play in Basle was fantastic.''

Van Nistelrooy turned Tuesday night's game on its head after Christian Gimenez opened the scoring after only 31 seconds of play.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer added a third to complete a remarkable change in fortune for United.

Giggs said: ''The only plus point was that we had enough time to get back in the game after that early goal.

''We felt we could get to the back four, and it would only be a matter of time before we created chances.''

UEFA's scoring charts in the Champions League differ from United's with van Nistelrooy credited with six goals this season and 16 in total for the club, not 18.

According to UEFA, goals in the qualifying rounds do not count and the Dutchman scored twice in the second leg defeat of Zalaegerszeg.

Meanwhile, AC Milan's impressive 1-0 win over European champions Real Madrid at the San Siro was greeted with euphoria by the Italian media and also drew generous praise from the Spanish press yesterday.

It was not so much Tuesday's result that delighted commentators Milan have beaten Real at the San Siro on each of the five occasions they have met since the 1950s but more the manner of Milan's scintillating attacking football.

"On your feet people, it was the night of pride in Milan of real dreams, of a roaring celebration of those, who at least for that magical night, were the strongest team in the world," wrote Franco Arturi in an editorial in the daily Gazzetta dello Sport.

After the disappointment of three seasons of failure in Europe and elimination in the second round of the World Cup at the hands of South Korea, Italian football has needed an injection of confidence.

"After the sorrow in Korea everyone had a desire to close the book forever on speculative, cautious football," added Gazzetta.

He added: "What counted was the quality of football from Milan, their spectacular play combined with the solidity of a defence which has found in Dida an ever-decisive goalkeeper.

"It is to be hoped that (Italy coach Giovanni) Trapattoni will watch and watch again the footage of Milan v Real and Deportivo v Juventus."

Spanish newspapers were somewhat taken aback by the way Milan scotched the stereotypes of Italian football.

"They were winning 1-0 with five minutes to go and attacking with seven men something never before seen in Italian football," read an editorial in the daily sports paper AS.