Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs says he told the club to sign Kylian Mbappé and Gabriel Jesus during his time as assistant manager under Louis Van Gaal.
“It was just £5 million”
At the time the pair would be worth approximately £5 million each. Mbappé recently made the switch from Monaco to Paris Saint Germain on loan during the summer with an option to sign the 19-year-old for a fee in the region of £166 million.
Gabriel Jesus is now a regular starter for Brazil and has scored 15 league goals for United’s rivals Manchester City, who sit comfortably at the top of the Premier League table.
“I watched Gabriel Jesus play three years ago,” Giggs told newspaper the Times. “I watched Mbappé for a year. I was watching them with the scout and it was a no-brainer.
“It was just like ‘get them’. It was just like £5 million or something - get them, loan them back - and that’s where the recruitment could have been better.”
Giggs was disappointed in the way Louis Van Gaal handled his transfer business
Giggs was assistant manager from 2014 to 2016 during the reign of Louis Van Gaal. Giggs said he was disappointed in the manner the Dutchman let players such as Rafael Da Silva, Danny Welbeck and Jonny Evans leave the club “who are United through and through”.
Van Gaal brought in players of his own in what was a busy transfer window for the club. Angel Di Maria signed from Real Madrid and Anthony Martial joined from Monaco alongside several other well known players [Radamel Falcao, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin].
“I know what a Manchester United player looks like,” added the Welshman.“There have been a lot who have come through that haven’t been United players and also players who were United players that shouldn’t have left.
“It was hard because Louis had his own ideas and you had to respect that but, yes, we had a few arguments about a couple of them. He understood because I had played with those lads, but they just weren’t for him.
“Some of them, like Welbeck, wanted to play more regularly, and Jonny [Evans] had a few injuries at the time, so you could understand it, but - and it’s not saying it in hindsight - recruitment hasn’t been great either.”
José Mourinho and his Manchester United side travel to Leicester City on Saturday evening. The Red Devils will be looking to close the 11 point gap at the top of the Premier League table.