Giggs: Scholes retired too early

Manchester United great Ryan Giggs has insisted he won't make the same mistake as team-mate Paul Scholes by retiring too soon. Scholes quit after helping United win a record 19th English title last season and started to coach the reserve side at Old Trafford. However, he has shown he still has what it takes after being summoned back into first-team action by Sir Alex Ferguson in January to help ease United's injury crisis in midfield. Giggs though recently signed a one-year contract extension and the 38-year-old, who has only ever played professionally for United, is set to take part in a 22nd season at Old Trafford, having made his debut in 1991. Since then midfielder Giggs has scored 162 goals and won 12 Premier League titles, two UEFA Champions Leagues, four FA Cups and three League Cups. And on Thursday he is set go become the first player to make 900 appearances for United when they play Ajax in the UEFA Europa League. "When to retire is difficult," Giggs told the Daily Telegraph. "Do you quit too early or go that one too many games and let people see you on the slide? Retirement is just a decision that I have to take my time with because I feel different after each game. "He (Scholes) was missing it and it's no secret that me, Gary (Neville) and a few other people felt that he had finshed too early, but who were we to know? We wanted him to carry on but he'd made his decision quite early and it was probably too early, which I think he accepts now. Who knows? Maybe he'll carry on next year," the former Wales international added. Giggs said switching to central midfield after starting out as a left winger had helped prolong his career. "Moving in to central midfield has definitely helped me," he said. "I had a taste of what it was like on the wing against Liverpool on Saturday (a match Premier League champions United won 2-1) and it's just completely different because you are up and down all the time."