Shay Given would pick Jack Grealish over Ryan Giggs in a combined Manchester treble eleven in a move likely to irritate the red half of the city.
The former City goalkeeper, who played with Grealish for a period of time at Aston Villa, believes the Englishman is back to his best and deserves a place in a hypothetical team over the legendary Giggs.
The Welsh wizard's exclusion from the team is sure to draw the ire of Manchester United fans who will no doubt be quick to point to Giggs' unmatched trophy cabinet and stack of individual honours.
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Given acknowledges the brilliance of Giggs but despite this, he still would take Grealish over the famed former star.
“I was a bit torn on this left side between Grealish and Giggsy," said Given who was speaking to LeoVegas ahead of the Manchester Derby FA Cup final on Saturday.
"Obviously, Giggsy has had a brilliant career and is decorated, but I’m going to put Jack in there. He’s had a phenomenal season and I used to play with him at Aston Villa, so I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for him, so I’m putting him on the left. It’s been brilliant to see him come into his own this season.”
On the opposite flank, Given was left in a similar situation but inevitably, and perhaps unsurprisingly, opted for a couple of Manchester City players to operate on the right side of the team.
"On the right, I’ve gone for Bernardo Silva, just for what he did against Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “I know there’s the people who talk about David Beckham and what a wonderful career he’s had, but I’m going to go for Bernardo – he can fulfil a lot of different positions as well.
“At right-back I’ve gone for Kyle Walker – he’s arguably one of the best right-backs to ever play in the Premier League. He’s got pace, power and is defensively a lot stronger than he’s been in previous seasons as well, he’s just a brilliant, brilliant right-back.”
United famously won the treble consisting of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup back in 1999. No team before or since has achieved this feat, although City are now just two games away from matching the achievement after securing a third successive Premier League title.
Here's Shay Given's full combined eleven.
Peter Schmeichel
Kyle Walker Jaap Stam John Stones Denis Irwin
Roy Keane
Paul Scholes Kevin De Bruyne
Bernardo Silva Jack Grealish
Erling Haaland
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