Can Manchester United Replace Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes?

Manchester United’s drab draw with Rangers summed up a relatively disappointing start to the season for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. While they are undefeated, disappointing draws with Fulham and Everton have left United off the pace in the Premier League, couple that with the off the field dramas involving star striker Wayne Rooney and it makes for a frustrating few weeks at Old Trafford.

Ferguson last night opted to make 10 changes and left out arguably his three most influential players to date. While Ryan Giggs did appear as a second half substitute, Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov were left out all together, something which with hindsight appears to be a bizarre decision from Ferguson.

But the main concern to come from last night for me, was how lacking in flair United were without the evergreen duo of Giggs and Scholes. Looking toward the future it must be a real worry for United fans to see nobody coming through and forcing either out of the side.

The message that came from last night’s game must now be that if either Giggs or Scholes are fit they play, because if they don’t United will struggle. While there is nothing wrong with this in the short term (this season) it really does set alarming bells ringing on what happens when age finally gets the better of them.

Can I see a Nani or an Antonio Valencia becoming a Ryan Giggs? Not a chance, and the same goes for the likes of Darren Gibson and Michael Carrick in their quest to replace Paul Scholes. It just seems like if United want to replace Giggs or Scholes, they won’t be able to do it from within.

This creates another big problem for Ferguson, with the owners at Old Trafford reportedly reluctant to splash the cash, can you really see them spending the money required?  Honestly I can’t think of anybody in the market who could feasibly replace them, but even if there was you would surely be talking in the region of £30million each?   

It really is a big problem for Ferguson, but ultimately I can’t see it been him that has to deal with it. By the time Scholes and Giggs retire, I personally feel that the great Scott will have also decided to call it a day, in which case filling the shoes of Sir Alex gets a whole lot harder.

What do you think? How could United replace either Giggs or Scholes?