London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Sir Alex Ferguson says he ‘never’ saw Ryan Giggs become angry or aggressive

Sir Alex Ferguson says he ‘never’ saw Ryan Giggs become angry or aggressive

Former Manchester United manager gives evidence at trial of footballer he worked with for 24 years

Sir Alex Ferguson has told a court that he never once saw Ryan Giggs lose his temper in his former player’s career.

The former Manchester United manager said the footballer had a “fantastic temperament” and that the entire club treated Giggs “as the number one”.

Giving evidence in Giggs’s trial on Friday, Ferguson said he “never” saw the footballer become angry or aggressive in the 24 years in which he managed him.

Giggs, 48, is on trial for using controlling and coercive behaviour against his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville, 38, between August 2017 and November 2020 – charges that he denies.

He also denies assaulting Greville, causing her actual bodily harm, and the common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, 26, at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester on 1 November 2020.

Ferguson told Manchester crown court how Giggs had signed a schoolboy form with the club before getting into the first team at the age of 17.

Ferguson said: “They [Manchester United] had been going through a bad period when I arrived at the club in 1986. We had a big job to do. We saw Ryan as one step towards a better situation in regard to young players. The thing was, the press started comparing him with George Best. We had to face a lot of attention on the boy.”

He continued: “When someone’s saying you’re the next George Best, it’s a big issue. But the boy was great, no problems.”

When asked about his experience of managing the winger over the following two decades, Ferguson said: “When I lost my temper, I would use Ryan as an example. He would get the sharp end of my tongue, but I knew he could take it. Other players would sit up and think, ‘If Ryan can take it, we can all take it.’”

“He was the best example I’ve had at any club. Everyone looked at Ryan as the number one,” he told the jury.

Earlier on Friday, the court heard the contents of a “final goodbye” letter written by Kate Greville on 29 October 2020 – three days before the alleged assault took place. The letter detailed the former Manchester United player’s alleged infidelities with at least eight women.

Giggs’ defence team read the letter, which began: “I know pretty much everything you have been doing with other women behind my back since the day I met you.”

Greville described Giggs as a “compulsive liar and serial cheat”, telling him: “My gut always told me you couldn’t be trusted.”

She wrote: “I now know you say the same things you say to me to multiple women. I’m nothing special, I was just the one you didn’t let have a happy life.”

The letter continued: “You will never lie to me or cheat on me again,” and revealed her intent to keep the puppy she and Giggs had bought together, saying: “I think after everything you have put me through, I deserve to have something good from this relationship.”

Giving evidence earlier in the week, self-confessed “love cheat” Giggs told the jury he had been unfaithful in all his previous relationships, but had never assaulted a woman.

He said he had never been able to resist “interest” from an “attractive woman”, agreed that he was a “flirt by nature”, and confirmed that he had lied more than once to his ex-wife, Stacey, and to Greville, a PR executive.

The trial continues.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×