United ignore Giggs transfer talk

Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon insists renewed transfer speculation surrounding Ryan Giggs will not be allowed to distract the Old Trafford outfit from their pursuit of glory.

Giggs was part of the Red Devils squad which jetted out to Turin today for their Champions League encounter with Juventus, just 24 hours after Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti confirmed his club would table a bid for the Welsh winger this summer.

The Welshman has endured an inconsistent campaign, admitting to a form dip more prolonged than at any other stage of his career.

Manager Alex Ferguson publicly backed the player, and he appeared to have overcome the poor performances which saw him booed off in the Worthington Cup semi-final against Blackburn last month.

But a woeful miss in the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal resulted in further disenchantment from the Old Trafford stands, giving Moratti optimism that a speculative summer bid might be accepted.

Kenyon, though, is refusing to get embroiled in the speculation.

“Transfer talk seems to start earlier every year,” he said.

“It’s too soon to say whether we would even consider a bid, and all we want to do at the moment is concentrate on this season. What we don’t want to do is disrupt our season.”

Ferguson refused point blank to even answer a question on the issue, preferring instead to focus on gaining the single point required in the Stadio delle Alpi to seal a last-eight spot.

England duo Wes Brown and Paul Scholes both missed the trip with respective hamstring and groin injuries, which leave a question mark over their places in next weekend’s Worthington Cup final against Liverpool.

However, there was some good news with Mikael Silvestre passed fit to make the trip after missing Saturday’s disappointing draw at Bolton with an ankle injury.

Juventus expect to field a far stronger side than the flu-riddled one which lost 2-1 at Old Trafford last Wednesday – with Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Marco di Vaio all expected to play for the Turin side who have joined Inter at the top of the Serie A table.

Ferguson said: “We only need a point to take us into the second phase – but we would prefer to finish top of the group.

“Last Wednesday’s game against them was fantastic, and if it gets to that level the spectators are in for a fantastic evening.”

Provisional squad: Barthez, Carroll, Ricardo, G Neville, Silvestre, Ferdinand, O’Shea, Beckham, Butt, P Neville, Keane, Veron, Giggs, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer, Forlan, Stewart, Pugh, Richardson, Fletcher.