The 45-year-old revealed on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief that he was recommended to watch Kylian Mbappe at youth level. Despite Giggs being impressed, Manchester United’s scouting team were reportedly not sold on the Frenchman.
The former Wales international told Ferdinand he was in the south of France in 2015, when a man named ‘Lionel’ approached him to discuss Mbappe.
Giggs explained that the man had been following him, but listened to his suggestion for Manchester United to keep tabs on the Frenchman.
Giggs reveals how Manchester United were alerted to Mbappe and why they rejected him
Giggs explained that ‘Lionel’ asked for his email address, to send additional details regarding Mbappe after his initial recommendation for the then-Monaco youth team player.
He claimed that while initially hesitant, ‘Lionel’ followed through on his promise, and sent the Welshman an email with information on Mbappe.
“We got to go to a few youth games [where he played] with Monaco. We saw him and went ‘Wow’ - he looked exceptional, obviously,” revealed the ex-Manchester United man.
Giggs, who was coaching at Manchester United in 2015, then advised the scouting team to watch Mbappe in action.
“We told the scouting team, [so] someone went to watch him in Paris,” explained the Welshman. “It was actually Monaco versus PSG.
“Later, the guy [who went] told me, ‘Yeah, they weren’t too sure about him.’” Giggs said. The 45-year-old then revealed additional recommendations from ‘Lionel’ in the years since.
“The same guy, in 2018, I went through my phone and he’s telling me about a player, U-14s but he’s playing with the Under-17s: Rayan Cherki,” the Welshman said, leaving Ferdinand stunned.
“Next message: ‘There’s a player at Saint-Etienne, [William] Saliba, I think he’d be a good player at Manchester United,” continued Giggs.
The 45-year-old clarified that suggestions from ‘Lionel’ weren’t always “superstars” and that he had recommended other players below the calibre of Mbappe, Cherki and Saliba.
Head to the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel now to watch the full interview.
