Opinion | Fifa World Cup 2018: Chinese Super League stars on show but Ryan Giggs highlights struggles for players moving to mainland
The Wales boss was frank during an interview with the South China Morning Post about difficulties European national team managers face in selecting players who ply their trade in China
With the World Cup in full flow, Wales manager Ryan Giggs has pointed out the difficulties for players that move to the Chinese Super League if they still want to be considered for international call ups back in the West.
“I think it’s always helpful for me as a coach in Europe if your players are in Europe,” he told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview while in Hong Kong on a brief trip from his Moscow base, where he is working as a pundit for British television channel ITV.
These are telling words from a man who has only recently come into the role of national team manager.
Giggs was talking about Gareth Bale, the Real Madrid forward whose future has been cast into doubt after he said he would look at his options in the summer in the immediate aftermath of a match-winning performance against Liverpool in the Champions League final last month.
Many have linked the Welsh wizard with a move to the Chinese Super League, and while Giggs would no doubt continue to pick the outstanding player of his generation for international duty, he would clearly prefer that Bale stays in Europe should he leave the Bernabeu this summer.