Giggs gets new deal - now he must go out and prove he can still do it...

Even though Ryan Giggs performances for United have been a bit patchy this season, it's great to hear that the United winger has been given a one year extension to his current deal which will now run until 2009.

There cannot be many players at any level of football who have stayed at one club for over 20 years, but that is precisely what Giggsy has done. It's a remarkable story in an age where loyalty in football is virtually unheard of.

For me and no doubting many United fans the Welshman's finest moment came at Villa Park in that FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal in 1999. Whatever else Ryan does in the remainder of his United career we will never forget that magical mazy run which left virtually the whole of the Arsenal team on their collective knees after he smashed the ball passed the helpless David Seaman in goal, in doing so securing United's place in the FA Cup final. It was quite simply a brilliant run and one which ended with Giggsy revealing his full length chest-rug. Marvellous.

On that night United had come back from the dead to win with only 10 men against a very strong Arsenal team. There was many other crucial moments in that unique treble winning season, but for me that Giggs goal was the pick of the bunch.

What would we Reds give for Giggsy to do it all over again? Will anyone ever score a goal in such important circumstances again? I have my doubts on that one. (And before anyone writes in, I know that there's no more FA Cup semi-final replays)

It's likely that from now on we will be seeing less and less of the Welsham as players such as Tevez, Nani and Anderson start to find their feet at the club, and it will be a sad day when Giggs finally calls it a day. Before then Reds fans will be hoping that Giggs gets the chance to prove that he can still do it at the highest level for the remainder of his contract.