Giggs Enjoys Dual Duties

Ryan Giggs is enjoying his double life as a player-coach and admits he now looks at training sessions in a different light.

Giggs was handed the player-coach role in the summer and now works alongside Steve Round and Phil Neville, assisting David Moyes on the training ground.

On Saturday afternoon, he wasn't in the playing squad that faced Crystal Palace, so helped take the warm-up and sat on the bench in a coaching capacity.

Giggs, who completed his UEFA Pro License qualifications in July, admits he's still learning as a coach but insists he's enjoying every minute of his new role.

"The manager’s been brilliant with me and he’s a brilliant coach," Giggs told ManUtd.com.

"Watching him work is a really good experience for me. Obviously I’ve also worked under Sir Alex for a long time and a few other coaches at international level, so it’s interesting to see how everybody’s different.

"I’m really enjoying the hands-on experience I’m getting and it’s probably given me a greater appreciation for that side of things. I now realise the amount of hard work that goes into every session.

"As a player you warm up on the bike and then head out to the training pitch where everything’s set up and ready to go. You don’t think about the preparation that’s gone into it. Now I’m seeing both sides of the coin and it’s been a real eye-opener."

Giggs can't always be hands-on during the training sessions as he's still a valuable member of Moyes' playing staff. But he attends daily coaching meetings where he shares his opinions and helps plan the sessions.

"It’s important you make training sessions enjoyable at this level," he explained.

"You want to constantly challenge players or else they’ll get bored. So you need to make sessions interesting and even mix up the intensity of training on certain days. I'm enjoying it a lot."