Former Manchester United stalwarts Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have called for a pause on the judgments being rained down on Manchester United for their 'less-than-encouraging' results recently.
The two legends, part of United's famed Class of '92, were speaking during the official launch of Cafe Football Singapore, the first franchise of the famous 'Hotel Football' owned by the duo jointly with Rowsley Ltd outside the United Kingdom (UK).
Cafe Football Singapore
Asked what is Manchester United's greatest problem of late, Ryan Giggs immediately came up with the answer - 'Goals'.
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"They're creating a lot of chances but we're missing goals. It's hard to judge now. We can do that at the end of the season," he said.
"I think most United fans would be happy at the start of the season if we were getting a trophy and Champions League football. They're still on course to do that. It will be tough to get into the top four but we have a good chance of winning the Europa League. The end of the season would be a good time to judge."
Gary Neville also shared Giggs' view and added, "United have been a bit up and down. They've been inconsistent. They've dropped many points but I think the next couple of months will determine if the season was successful or not. It all depends on whether United can get into the Champions League."
Giggs, who came through United's academy like Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and the rest of the Class of '92, also insisted that The Red Devils have still one of the best conveyor belts of young talent.
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"I think, the five or six of us coming through - it doesn't happen always. Its pretty unique," he asserted. "We've always had players coming through but it's been the odd one every now and again."
"United have always had a rich history with youth players and when you've got players like Marcus Rashford coming through, the young kids look at him and say it is possible. Over the years, we've had the most young players coming through. Maybe Southampton would rival us when it comes to youngsters breaking in and then keeping the first team spots."
Gary Neville, a well-respected pundit, opined that Luke Shaw is United's best left-back and he has to react positively to Jose Mourinho's recent criticism of the youngster. He said, "They were harsh words and they were given to Luke for a reason.
"At the end of the day, Jose Mourinho wants a response from Shaw to the challenge that has been set down. He's the left-back at the club. When he came on against Everton, he was very good. He's got an interesting end to the season I think. If he can focus and concentrate, he is among the best in the country. But he has to respond. They were harsh words but he'll have to get over it."
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The former United captain, who also had a spell as the manager of Spanish side Valencia, had an opinion on the difference in quality between the Premier League and La Liga.
"Premier League is by far the better league in terms of excitement, crowds, events and popularity. La Liga is a better league for quality, particularly at the top end. The Spanish clubs, at this moment in time, have an edge in quality over Premier League clubs, especially in the Champions League," he stated.
When queried as to why they chose to venture into business, Giggs revealed that it was something they have been thinking for a long time and it has now become a part of their life.
"Regarding business, football is a short career. So we started planning for after football around our early thirties," he expressed. "We were always planning on what we would do after football. We're still involved in it (football), yes. But business has really took over our lives, especially the hospitality business."
"It's different from football but it is still the same to an extent. You need to prepare right, you need to have the right team and work hard. So, we took something from football to this and we enjoy business. It's a big part of our lives now."
Neville added, "Singapore was an obvious choice (to expand their business) because of our partners, Rowsley and Peter Lim, whom we've worked with and is a good friend. So this looked like a good place to expand to."