Ferguson hails Giggs as Wales midfielder signs new one-year contract

Feb 10, 2012, 14:42 GMT

London - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Ryan Giggs as the 'epitome of his teams' on Friday as the Wales midfielder signed a new one-year contract with the club.

The deal will take Giggs past his 39th birthday and into his 22nd season with the Premier League champions, having played 898 appearances for the club to date.

'Ryan is a marvellous player,' Ferguson said. 'In many ways, he epitomises all my teams here at United: he has constantly re-invented himself, adapted to the changing nature of the game and retained that desire and hunger for success.

'In every training session and match, he is the example for others to follow. The young players in the dressing room have a great chance to learn from a player who will continue to break records that anyone in the game will find hard to beat.'

Giggs, who has made 22 appearances this season so far, said he feels he can still be a positive influence on and off the field.

'I feel good and I know I can still contribute to keeping the team pushing for honours,' he said.

'Winning the club's 19th title (last summer) was a great feeling but this club is all about what we do next and I'm really pleased I can be part of that.'

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