Been there, seen it, done it. But Ryan Giggs' hunger for success remains undimmed. Having signed a new deal until 2009, the Welsh winger is full of ambiton and has his sights set on more trophies and Sir Bobby Charlton's appearance record...
Do you expect Arsenal to be United's main title rivals or will Liverpool and Chelsea stake a genuine claim?
I think all the big four teams are capable of going on good runs. Whoever can put a string of results together and handle suspensions and injuries later in the season will probably end up being champions. It might also come down to which of the big four can take the most points off each other.
Looking back on your trip to the Emirates, how disappointing was it to concede a late equaliser – did it feel like a defeat?
It did really because the three points were within our grasp and we were robbed of them at the death. But you’ve got to get on with things and if you look back at the game there last season when they scored a late winner, we’ve actually left with a better result this time round. They beat us twice last season and we came back well from both of those games. We need to do that again. The way we played gave us a lot of confidence.
Was the reaction of the Arsenal players at the end of the game a sign of the respect they hold for this United team?
Probably. Some of their players thought they’d won the game when the final whistle went. I’m not sure we would have celebrated like that if we’d have drawn at home, but I suppose they were excited to score so late on.
United's squad seems to be coping well with injuries…
Form-wise and position-wise everything is great. And it’s fantastic to have players coming back from injury. Gary [Neville] will be returning soon, Louis [Saha] is fit again and he’s really important for us. Lads like [Gerard] Piqué, Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and Simmo [Danny Simpson] have played an important part as well.
You've signed a one-year contract extension until June 2009 – was that pleasing?
It’s great to know I’ll be playing for another season after this one. I was pleased to get it sorted and it means I can just get on with my football and hopefully play well over the next 18 months or so.
What are your remaining playing ambitions?
Winning the Champions League again is definitely a big aim and it would be nice to win a 10th title. The main thing is just to enjoy my football but I suppose you only really do that when you’re winning trophies. So hopefully we can win some more.
The extension increases the chances of you surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time appearance record. How much pleasure would that give you?
It’ll be a great personal honour. To play so many games for the club you’ve supported and pass the total of probably the greatest player this club’s ever had would be brilliant. It’s something I don’t really like talking about until it’s happened, but given that the landmark is getting closer it would be great to do it!
Ryan was speaking to United Review before the Blackburn match.
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