Manchester United scouted Mbappe but didn’t sign him, says Ryan Giggs

Former United assistant coach reveals his pursuit of a teenaged Mbappe after a tip-off from a French scout.One of the world’s most prolific goal scorers, Kylian Mbappe, could have signed a contract with Manchester United when he was a little-known teenager in the French league, but the English Premier League club’s scouts decided against approaching his then-club, Monaco, former United player and coach Ryan Giggs has revealed.Giggs, who was United’s interim and assistant coach between 2014 and 2016, made the revelation on a podcast with his former United teammate Rio Ferdinand on Wednesday.Mbappe has several club and international goal-scoring records to his name and now plays for European football giants Real Madrid in Spain.Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe holds up the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Golden Boot award before his team’s match against Inter Milan on September 8 [Violeta Santos/Reuters]The 27-year-old signed for the La Liga team in 2024 from French league champions Paris Saint-Germain, who scooped him up from Monaco in 2018 after Mbappe lit up Ligue 1 with his speed and goal-scoring accuracy.But according to Giggs, Mbappe could have been a Red Devil had the club’s scouts pursued him after watching him play in 2015.The United legend said he was in southern France in 2015 when he was approached by a local football scout and tipped off about a rising star.“I was walking along the beach back to the hotel and all of a sudden I can feel someone coming up to me,” Giggs said while narrating his meeting with the scout.“He comes up to me and says, ‘I just wanted to just say hello. I’m a big United fan and big fan of yours. I watch a lot of youth football in France and you have to look at this player. He’s called Kylian Mbappe. He’s at Monaco and I think he’s a player for Man United.'”