Ryan Giggs says United passed on Mbappé after a scouting tip in 2015
Ryan Giggs revealed that Manchester United ignored a recommendation to sign Kylian Mbappé in 2015, deeming him insufficiently impressive.
During a podcast appearance, Ryan Giggs explained that while serving on Manchester United's coaching team in 2015, he was approached by a French supporter named Lionel who urged the club to scout a teenage forward at Monaco named Kylian Mbappé. Giggs and fellow assistant Albert Stuivenberg watched Mbappé in youth fixtures and later in a senior match against Paris Saint-Germain, concluding that the player did not merit immediate recruitment.
The scouting report was passed to United's scouting department, which ultimately chose not to act. Mbappé subsequently broke through at Monaco, helped them capture the Ligue 1 title in 2017, transferred to PSG for the second-largest fee ever, and later moved to Real Madrid in 2024, achieving World Cup success with France. Giggs' account highlights a missed opportunity for United in hindsight.
