• Premier League

No excuses for poor start - Giggs

Ryan Giggs insists Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement cannot be used an excuse for Manchester United's worrying start to the season.

United have not lost three straight Premier League games for 12 years, but that is the unenviable statistic David Moyes' side are striving to avoid as they travel to Sunderland on Saturday.

Now player-coach Giggs has spoken out in an apparent bid to fire his teammates back into top form as they look to click back into form after losing three of their first six league games this season.

"I can't put my finger on what's happened," Giggs told the Daily Mirror. "We have just not played as well as we can both individually and as a team.

"Sir Alex was a great manager and a great influence on the team and the club. You're going to miss someone like that, but I don't think that's an excuse when individuals aren't playing as well as they can.

"We know the quality in the dressing room. We're the champions so we showed that quality last year and we have to show it again. We are not playing well as a team, but we haven't got injury problems as we have had in the past, so there is no excuse."

Giggs is adamant there is plenty of time for Moyes to confirm his worth as United manager, as he suggested a dip in form at the start of a campaign may, in fact, be well-timed.

"You would rather be showing this form at the start of the season than at the end," he added. "You have just got to hang in there to the turn of the year and then hopefully hit a bit of form like we historically do.

"It's a weird season so far. City have been beaten twice. Nobody has hit the ground running who we'd have expected to. Obviously Arsenal are playing well, Tottenham and Liverpool are at the top, but there's enough time for us to turn it around and get back to the top and stay there.

"There are other teams getting beaten around us. We have plenty of time but we need to start doing it quickly and at the weekend."

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