Ryan Giggs may be on the verge of making his 900th United appearance, but the veteran Welshman has revealed that he had contemplat…

Ryan Giggs may be on the verge of making his 900th United appearance, but the veteran Welshman has revealed that he had contemplated retiring at the end of last season.

Hampered by hamstring trouble and deprived of regular action, the 38-year-old had to be talked down during a private meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson.

"When to retire is difficult. Do you quit too early or go that one too many games and let people see you on the slide? It’s hard for me, even with my experience, not to play or be involved and last season was difficult before Christmas," Giggs told The Daily Telegraph.

"I didn’t play many games, I had a hamstring injury and had a chat with the gaffer, saying I was frustrated, but he said I would get my games. I was thinking maybe it could be my last season, but towards the end, I didn’t want the season to stop."

Common sense has allowed speculation to surround Giggs' retirement since he reached his mid-30s. While still enjoying himself and contributing to the team, however, there's no end in sight as yet - as demonstrated by the Welshman's recent one-year contract extension.

"Retirement is just a decision that I have to take my time with because I feel different after each game," he said. "After the 3-3 game at Chelsea recently, it was a really hard game, but I felt brilliant afterwards.

"Yet there have been other games when I haven’t felt so good. After the game at Arsenal, I didn’t feel so great, so it’s swings and roundabouts. You can’t decide after one game. It’s just something I really need to think about and take my time over.

"Not many players get to 900 games, so to play at United for that amount of time and games is something to be proud of."

Milestone man almost retired

15TH FEB 2012

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