Ryan Giggs Reportedly Set to Reject Jose Mourinho Job Offer at Manchester United

Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs will reportedly turn down Jose Mourinho's offer of a coaching role at the club in order to pursue management elsewhere if the Special One is brought in to replace Louis van Gaal as expected.

That's according to an exclusive from Neil Ashton and Neil Custis in the Sun, who noted the Red Devils are eager to keep the Welshman and that Mourinho has agreed for him to join his staff, but the Portuguese expects the offer of a coaching role to be rejected.

If Giggs does move on in search of becoming a boss, it would leave Mourinho without a valuable go-between who could help the players adjust to the new regime and give the squad a bigger voice. 

A number of senior players at the club reportedly have "major reservations" at the prospect of Mourinho arriving at Old Trafford.

According to the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, the Portuguese "is set to be named as [Van Gaal’s] successor," but "sources claim a delegation of players have expressed their doubts to senior members of the club’s hierarchy."

Their concerns seem to be centred on the "pragmatic" style of play they believe Mourinho will adopt—not too dissimilar to the Dutchman's—and they would prefer a manager who will produce a more attacking brand of football.

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Further, Mokbel added that the players believe it is "counter-productive" to bring in the Special One given his tendency to spend no more than four years at a club before moving on.

ESPN's Alex Shaw believes that particular criticism of Mourinho to be somewhat unfair:

Indeed, Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure at United and Arsene Wenger's ongoing stint at Arsenal have been phenomenal, but managers who stay in charge of a club for longer than four years seem to be an increasing rarity in the modern game.

Given United have had two failed appointments since Ferguson retired—though there are certainly positives from Van Gaal's reign, and he appears to have ended on a high with Saturday's FA Cup win—Mourinho's track record and availability makes him the best option open to United.

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The 53-year-old has lifted eight titles in four different leagues since 2003, and only in three of those seasons did he not win at least one trophy.

Football365's Daniel Storey and the Mirror's Darren Lewis are also perplexed by the concerns:

Indeed, Chelsea scored 73 goals in the 2014-15 season under Mourinho—only one team scored more—and the Blues would have been top scorers this year with that total.

His side were majestic for much of that campaign before grinding out results in the latter months—which, while perhaps not the most attractive to watch, was an effective and valid approach.

Though Mourinho can often be a divisive character, he is also charismatic, and his players do tend to unite under him. His task will be more difficult without Giggs but hardly impossible—particularly if he's able to bring in some of his own signings this summer and produce results quickly.

As for the Welshman, if he were to leave Old Trafford, it would end a 29-year association with the club, but the move could benefit both parties in the long run.

A managerial job elsewhere would help give Giggs the kind of experience he needs to have the best chance of success as a manager of United in the future.

Equally, if like several Old Trafford alumni he fails to enjoy the same level of success in coaching as he did as a player—such as Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane, at least thus far—then the club would've avoided another failed appointment.