Giggs still trying

Ryan Giggs never had any serious worries about Manchester United taking their place in tomorrow’s Champions League draw - but there is still no end to his Old Trafford goal drought.

The Welsh winger helped unhinge Hungarian minnows Zalaegerszeg last night, mixing his usual devastating bursts down the left with some incisive forays forward from a central attacking role – but still those elusive goals will not come.

Twice Giggs found himself in promising positions, only to be denied by the feet of former Charlton keeper Sasa Ilic.

It is almost three years since Giggs bagged a Premiership goal at Old Trafford, a run punctuated by three Champions League strikes in the intervening years.

He collected his first of the season at Chelsea on Friday and with the 28-year-old believing United’s slick counter-attacking style means it is more likely he will strike away from home, Giggs will be looking to add to his tally at Sunderland this weekend.

“The way we play away from home suits my game,” he said.

“We try to catch teams on the counter with plenty of pace and power that gives me the chance to press forward.”

While Giggs could not get his name on the scoresheet last night, he was able to reflect on a job well done, even if it did come at a price with the ankle injury sustained by Paul Scholes.

The England midfielder slotted home the third to cap a blistering start and though United eased off either side of the interval, they moved up the gears towards the end to finish off a five-goal rout, their biggest win in Europe for four years.

After all the talk of a disastrous exit and the potential loss of millions of pounds, the manner of victory came as a welcome relief, even if Giggs never seriously considered the prospect of an early exit.

“We were hurt by the criticism we received in Budapest, but we didn’t play very well over there and we knew we had to improve,” he said.

“But we were also aware that we have greater ability than them and if we put in the hard work we would turn the tie around.

“We went out there, hunted them down, got the early goal and then our class started to show.

“I never had any serious fears we would miss out on the Champions League. We knew we were capable of creating chances and have enough people capable of putting the ball in the net to be pretty confident.”

Far from abandoning the experiment of using Ruud van Nistelrooy as a single striker, Ferguson looks like he will persist with the tactic, urging his midfielders to push forward and support the Dutchman.

Even after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Scholes last night, Giggs still retained his floating role, which at one stage saw him switch to the right with David Beckham moving to the left.

On the evidence of last night’s encounter, the formula appears to be working, although Arsenal’s flying Premier League start means there is little room for teething troubles.

However, the Red Devils now have their European campaign to fall back on, and are likely to find themselves in the first pot of seeds for tomorrow’s draw.

For all their achievements on the domestic front, it is those great European nights which light up the faces of Ferguson and his team.

Apart from their triumph in 1999, United have also reached two semi-finals and three quarter-finals in the last six years.

And Giggs is delighted to have the chance to pit his skills against some of the game’s most illustrious names.

“The Champions League is the place to be and this club deserves to be there,” he said.

“Now we have qualified we must keep working hard. If we can achieve that the results will come.”