Changing of the Guard

The seemingly innocuous retirement of Gary Neville begins a generational shift for Man United

Just what is it that brings the sort of relentless, unremitting success to a club that Manchester United have enjoyed for the last twenty years? Is it hefty wads of cash being injected into the team? Is it having one of the best managers in the world? Is it producing wave after wave of extraordinary talent from the academy?

Many would argue that it’s a combination of the three, but I’d like to think that having several players ready and willing to devote themselves entirely to the club, come rain or shine, is just as valuable and important. Indeed, three key players to Manchester United’s 20 years of unrivalled   success would have to be Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Throughout the years they have never shown a hint of desire to leave the club. They have flourished when made key figures in the team, and diligently stood by on the few occasions where other players took their roles. They epitomise the term “one-club man”.

It’s hard to think of anyone who will have enjoyed their football career more than Ryan Giggs has. The early proclamation by the media of him being the ‘wizard of dribble’ does not fairly sum up the range of abilities that the Welshman has; some of which came naturally to him, but some of which he developed through maturity. His technical ability and range of passing has always been excellent, and as he’s slowed down over the years he’s managed to curb the ‘pacy winger’ side of his game for a more considered playmaker role.

He’s had his fair share of famous moments as well. Many will remember the FA Cup semi-final replay in which his mazy dribbling saw him cut through an entire defence, although more will remember the hairy-chested celebration that followed. Besides that, Giggs set up the first goal in United’s 1999 Champions League comeback, and remains one of only four midfielders to have scored 100 Premier League goals.

Another one of those four is Paul Scholes. Scholes may not have had the longetivity and adulation that Giggs has had in his career, but he has left an indelible mark upon many of his opponents and team-mates, who utterly admire his abilities. Zinedine Zidane once said that "Scholes is undoubtedly the best midfielder of his generation.", whilst United legend Bobby Charlton labelled him “the embodiment of all that I think is best about football”.

His media-shy demeanour undoubtedly endears him to the game’s insiders, but this unfortunately means he sometimes gets overlooked by journalists and fans. Without question though, Scholes is one of the best English midfielders of all time. His talent of picking out a pass from practically anywhere on the pitch was phenomenal, and it’s an ability he still possesses to a great degree.

And of course, some of his goals have been absolute corkers. He has a methodical precision to direct a 25-yard volley exactly where he wants it to go, and yet he maintains a superb power in the shot that allows the ‘keeper no opportunity to get anywhere near it. His goal against Aston Villa in 2006 was the perfection of this talent.

Goals however, are not the forte of Gary Neville. In his 400 appearances for United, he only managed five. But Neville’s style of play was built on resisting the spectacular. Pure consistency was the reason he was able to act as a great servant for both club and country, becoming an integral part of many different United and England defences. With today’s full-backs like Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole, there is an expectance that they will support the attack by flying forward. Not to say that Neville never did this, but he knew his main priority was to defend and he stuck to that task with an admirable assiduousness.

Unfortunately, the past few seasons have seen a rapid demise in his performances. Despite Ferguson’s faith in Neville as captain, it had been clear for a while that Neville could no longer cut it at the top level, and he rightfully hanged up his boots, left to contemplate his steady, successful career.

Despite not being a United fan, I still have a feeling of sentimentality about Giggs, Scholes and Neville, and I believe many will feel the same way. A whole new generation of supporters have grown up with these three players making up part of the furniture at Old Trafford, and now that Neville has retired and will surely soon be followed by Giggs and Scholes, it really does mark the end of an era.