Rideout played against Giggs, and also the likes of Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, during his five-year spell with the Toffees.

He rarely got the better of the Old Trafford side apart from the famous occasion when he scored the winner in the 1995 FA Cup final.

Everton and United meet again at Wembley tomorrow, this time at the semi-final stage, and Giggs is expected to play a part 14 years after coming on as a substitute in Rideout's final.

"They had some superb youngsters who are all top players who have looked after themselves but Giggs is just fabulous," the 44-year-old, now coaching junior teams at Major League Soccer side Kansas City Wizards, told PA Sport.

"He has always been a great ambassador not just for United but for football.

"You never see him in nightclubs, you never see him get into trouble, he is always looking out for the youngsters coming through.

"You won't get a better example of a role model than Giggs. Disciplinary-wise he won't let you down, there is nothing you can knock about Giggs.

"He is a down-to-earth nice guy and to still be around and be playing at the level he is playing at is a different class.

"I don't think anyone will get near the amount of trophies he has won.

"He has had a spectacular career and one that youngsters can only wish they could get.

"Scholes, too, just gets on with his business. We haven't seen those kind of players come through of late. There aren't too many United youngsters who have come through to compare with the group they had then."