28 January,2011 08:33 AM IST | | AFP
Ryan Giggs believes Sir Alex Ferguson could manage Manchester United for another five years as the Red Devils prepare for an FA Cup fourth round tie with Southampton on Saturday.
United have not won the prestigious knockout competition since their 2004 victory over Millwall, a record that Ferguson wants to improve, along with captain Nemanja Vidic and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.
Serbia defender Vidic has claimed he is desperate to win the tournament in his first season as United skipper and the cup is also the only club honour to elude Van der Sar, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season.
The Premier League leaders remain unbeaten in the league and Ferguson has changed his selection policy in the FA Cup since last season's shock defeat to Leeds United.
The Scot will not take the League One high-flyers lightly and is likely to pick a strong team for the game against opponents United beat 3-0 in the third round of this competition in 2009.
Ferguson, who has been in charge at Old Trafford since 1986, turns 70 in December but veteran Giggs, 37, insists the manager is showing as much desire as ever.
Giggs said: "I really do not see him finishing any time soon, he will go on, at least another five years.
"His desire gets stronger. After a Champions League game we can get back at 3.30am and then a few hours later he will be the first in at the training ground.
"Earlier in the season we had a virus at the club. He got it himself and was dying during the week, really sick, but come the day of the game, he was there in the dug-out. He just loves the challenge."
Giggs has signed another one-year contract at United and has admitted he would like to follow Ferguson into management when he finally retires.
He added: "I want to remain in football so I can continue to do something I have done since school and if I have a day off I am bored.
"I hope I can be a good manager, I like helping players and improving them. But the life expectancy of a manager is just 18 months, so you do not get long."
Brazilian defender Rafael is set to miss the trip to the south coast after sustaining concussion in the 3-2 victory at Blackpool in midweek.
Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick remain doubtful with respective groin and ankle problems and Antonio Valencia will be out for several more weeks with a knee injury sustained in September.
All eyes will be on Southampton's teenage midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has been attracting interest from Arsenal and has also been reported to be monitored by United.
But veteran defender Radhi Jaidi believes there is a bigger picture to the tie, with the game showing whether Saints can eventually aim to get back to the Premier League.
"We can put this as a reference for when Southampton get back into the Premier League," he said on the club's official website. "We can see how we're going to do against the big teams.
"The fans are all excited to get Manchester United at home, but it's not our first target this season to win the FA Cup - it's a one-off game where you have to fight for prestige.
"We're going to play against a big Premier League team who are first in the table and who have the big stars, so we'll try to play our best, play as well as we can do and see our level compared with theirs."
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