Ryan Giggs joins Paul Scholes in inaugural edition of Indian Premier Futsal League

The United legend will be lining up alongside the likes of Deco, Paul Scholes, Hernan Crespo and Ronaldinho

Ryan Giggs is now looking ahead to life beyond Manchester United (Getty)

It looks like Ryan Gigg’s footballing days aren’t quite behind him, despite retiring back in 2014.

The former Manchester United player is set to return to the pitch as a player in the inaugural Indian Premier Futsal League, which gets underway this July.

Giggs will be lining up alongside some of the game’s biggest names to take part in the inaugural edition of India’s Futsal League - the likes of Deco, Paul Scholes, Hernan Crespo and Ronaldinho have all signed up too.

The league will run as a tournament from July 15 to July 24, beginning on Friday in Chennai and Goa, and could see Giggs reunited with his former United teammate Scholes as part of a dangerous futsal duo.

Premier Futsal – whose president is ex-Real Madrid and Barclona midfielder Luis Figo – is the latest franchise-based sporting competition in India. It follows the Indian Premier League and Premier Badminton League.

Former United teammate Scholes signed for the league last June. Speaking to the official league website, the Englishman said: “Futsal is a fascinating format that has played a pivotal role in developing the skills of some of the greatest football players.

“I have seen Futsal grow not just back home, but also across the world and I have played in a few of those tournaments. Premier Futsal will be a great way to introduce the sport to India."

However, the Indian Premier Futsal League has already been embroiled in controversy after the chief footballing body in India chose not to recognise it as an official body. The league is set to go ahead regardless though, with Sony having already picked up the rights for the competition.

Ryan Giggs’ involvement in the ten-day competition follows a stint as an ITV pundit for EURO 2016. Having originally left Old Trafford to pursue his own managerial career, the Welshman is expected to continue his journey into management once the tournament draws to a close.

Giggs made a staggering 963 appearances for United across all competitions and is the most capped player in the club’s history. Scholes made 718 and between them the two players scored 323 goals.