Ryan Giggs, in his 18th season as a professional, was finally awarded the highest honour possible by his peers, as he was tonight voted the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year. The Manchester United midfielder described it as the “best” possible accolade, having beaten off competition from his club-mates Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard. “It’s right up there, with personal accolades it’s the best to have as it’s voted by your fellow players,” Giggs said. “I’ve been fortunate to win a lot of trophies, I won the young player award twice but this is the big one.” Giggs paid tribute to his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed him on schoolboy terms when the teenage winger was training with the Manchester City Academy. “The manager has been massive in my career from when I first met him when I was 13,” Giggs said. “That’s over 20 years and he knows me better than anyone and our relationship has been brilliant and just gets better. I’ve been so fortunate to have such a great career in so many great teams, it’s not even worth thinking about what it would have been like without the manager.” Some questioned his nomination, dismissing it as a nostalgic exercise, given that he has made only 12 starts in the Premier League this season, supplemented by the same number again of substitute appearances, and scoring a single goal — the winner against West Ham United at Upton Park in …