Giggs: 'I would no longer have friends' if I managed Liverpool

Through being "encouraged to dislike people from Liverpool" as a child, Ryan Giggs says he could never manage Manchester United's great rivals based westbound on the M62.

The Welshman joined United's academy at the age of 14, and stayed there for 29 years until Jose Mourinho opted to bring in his own coaching staff upon taking the Old Trafford helm in the summer. Considering his name is synonymous with United's finest years, it's no surprise that he has a distaste for Liverpool.

"I moved from Cardiff to Salford when I was 7. You were literally growing up encouraged to dislike people from Liverpool," said Giggs after the Welsh Community Football Awards ceremony in Cardiff.

"I played for Salford under-11s and you would play Sefton, Liverpool boys, Bootle boys and the rivalry was so great. You grow up with it."

Giggs featured in 48 United-Liverpool meetings in his playing days, regularly tormenting the Reds with his devastating pace and dribbling ability on the left wing, but is now on the lookout for a managing role after working under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal in Stretford.

He met with Swansea City over its recent vacancy following the recent sacking of Francesco Guidolin, but the job went to Bob Bradley. Giggs insists he bowed out of negotiations because the club's "ambitions didn't match mine."

When asked if he'd ever take charge of Liverpool, he replied: "No. Just a no. That's no disrespect to Liverpool, I just wouldn't. I would no longer have friends."

Giggs cites the rivalry between United and Liverpool as making it inconceivable of him overseeing the latter, and saying that his sentiments would be echoed by proud Scouser Steven Gerrard - albeit the other way around.

He added: "I was always a United fan - my grandmother hammered it home. 'You are a United fan.' She loved the Busby Babes, she loved George Best. She was the driving force behind me being a Man United supporter."