Ryan Giggs Reportedly Set to Beat Jose Mourinho to Manchester United Job

The Glazer family, who own Manchester United, are reportedly putting measures in place ahead of Ryan Giggs’ appointment as the club’s next manager, with Jose Mourinho poised to miss out on the post.

That’s according to Adriano Boin of Marca, who stated that if Louis van Gaal leaves his post this summer, they “are keen to replace him with a figure that won't overshadow the club,” and as such, they will turn to the Dutchman’s current assistant manager instead of the controversial Portuguese coach.

“As a result, the Glazer family have already taken steps towards promoting Giggs from his current post as assistant manager, leaving Mourinho's future in doubt,” continues Boin, noting the options for Mourinho are now likely to be limited to Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

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Needless to say, Alex Shaw of ESPN FC doesn’t think that ignoring Mourinho would be the best decision, especially when considering the other options:

Given the Portuguese is unattached, the Red Devils have a brilliant opportunity to get one of the world’s most revered managers easily.

However, according to Mark Ogden of the Independent, the club remain “undecided” over whether to keep Van Gaal, and the former Chelsea boss has grown “restless.” If Boin’s report is to be believed, then it seems the club have decided to take a different route and procedures are already being put in place.

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Greg Johnson of Squawka Football thinks that Giggs should be involved heavily at Old Trafford, although not necessarily as manager:

Granted, there’d be some obvious virtues to the Welshman taking over. He’s a man who is immersed in the club’s traditions, after all, having won a staggering 13 Premier League titles before hanging up his boots. 

With that in mind, the Old Trafford crowd would also surely be treated to much more entertaining football under Giggs, having been involved in teams that attacked with pace and purpose during his playing days. With Van Gaal in charge, the style has been stagnant at times this season, and the supporters have been left disillusioned.

Additionally, Giggs would command a hefty amount of respect, as he was a sensational player. OptaJoe illustrated just how good here:

He’d face an enormous job, though. United are no longer the alphas of the Premier League, having gradually fallen back into the chasing pack since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Van Gaal has assembled a squad that contains quality players, although it still needs some significant reshaping in the offseason.

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Mourinho has experience in this kind of position, having taken Chelsea from top-four contenders to champions within a couple of seasons in his second spell with the club. There are worries about the 53-year-old’s willingness to give youth a chance, something that is key at United, although it’d be bewildering if he decided not to use the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Still, Mourinho comes with inevitable baggage and the likely prospect that after an initial uplift things will turn sour. United, if there’s truth to the aforementioned story, seem content to do without the hassle.