Faithful Fergie! Giggs to start against Barca in Champions League final despite affair

Sir Alex Ferguson will demonstrate his faith in Ryan Giggs by naming the under-fire Welshman in his team for Saturday's Champions League final against Barcelona at Wembley.

Giggs, named in Parliament as the footballer who had obtained a High Court injunction to prevent details of an affair with former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas being made public, spoke to his manager on Monday, when his state of mind was assessed.

Outed: Ryan Giggs (top) and former Big Brother contestant Imogen Thomas, who was spotted on Monday night

Ferguson wanted to know if Giggs was prepared to face Barcelona - and was told: 'Yes'. The midfield linchpin wants to play a small part in Gary Neville's testimonial on Tuesday night at Old Trafford. Ferguson may allow Giggs a cameo appearance after not playing in Sunday's 4-2 win against Blackpool.

It is understood the United manager, who has been watching Giggs' demeanour and form since the scandal broke, is satisfied his longest-serving player remains in the right frame of mind to play.

Life on the big screen: Ferguson receives his Manager of the Year award from David Gill on video-link 

Ferguson, who won the Manager of the Year award and two others at last night's League Managers' Association dinner, said: 'The media is a difficult beast to handle these days with the profile of the players.'

The one selection issue facing Ferguson is whether to start Javier Hernandez or an extra midfielder, with the Mexico striker favourite to get the nod at present.

Eyes on the prize: Evra (left) says he was persuaded to stay at Old Trafford by Sir Alex

Someone who is almost certain to start is defender Patrice Evra, who has revealed Ferguson persuaded him to stay at Old Trafford last summer.

'I had thought about leaving last summer for family reasons and even concluded that I wanted to,' Evra said. 'But the manager visited me at my house to persuade me to stay. It worked.'

Meanwhile, David Beckham has insisted Ferguson's current side deserve their place among the Old Trafford greats. 'They're up there with the best United sides of all time because the trophies they've won prove it,' he said. 'You can't ask for more.'