HANDBAGS AND THE WASHBAGS

Euro 2016: Ryan Giggs slates modern English players for a ‘washbag’ culture with his Manchester United future up in the air

RYAN GIGGS reckons the ‘washbag’ culture in English football has had a detrimental effect on the Three Lions team.

The most successful player in British football history said players want fame and not success.

Ryan Giggs was speaking on ITV ahead of the Euro 2016 quarter-final between Poland and Portugal

PA:Press Association

Giggs whose future is still yet to be announced by Manchester United with Jose Mourinho taking over, came through the ranks at Old Trafford and has seen 30 years of youth players at the club.

The 42-year-old said: “I don’t think you can question the character. There’s an overall bigger problem with the English national team. And a lot has to change, the whole culture has to change, if you want a successful English football team.

“It starts from 14, 15, 16 with that whole ‘washbag’ culture. I read a piece from Jamie Carragher today and what he said is 100 per cent true.

“I didn’t want to be famous, I wanted to be successful. Players now are rewarded before they even do anything. They’ve got the nice cars, the nice watches.”

Seeing players leaving their team bus with a leather cosmetics bag under their arm is a well known sight in the modern game.

EPA
Sturridge and Co were sent packing by Iceland as England suffered a shock Euro exit

Daniel Sturridge was lampooned in the media for saying that he liked to spray his KIT before going out to play games.

But Giggs thinks the international age-group structure is compromised by the power of the Premier League clubs.

Giggs, working for ITV on their Euro 2016 coverage, added: “For a national team to be successful I think the best players have to play in their age group. That’s a big question mark in England because the Premier League is so big, they have so much power.

“How can they release their best players for a summer tournament at Under-19s, Under-20s – if the English national team want to be successful, they have to do that.

“You see the Welsh team, the nucleus of that team have come through together: seven, eight players.

“You go through your career and everything’s great, you’re getting paid – paid well – and you’ve not done anything.

“It wasn’t good, obviously. They didn’t turn up second half. I watched the game and in the first 15 minutes I thought ‘England are up for this.’

“They looked sharp, to the ball, Iceland couldn’t get out. Once that second goal went in, it was like every player shrunk, got smaller, didn’t want the ball. And second half, you’re thinking half time team talk, a few changes, you thought things would get better but it just didn’t.”

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