Ryan Giggs Reportedly Set to Leave Manchester United in Search of Management Job

Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs is said to be keen to try his hand as a manager and will reportedly leave the Red Devils after becoming "disillusioned" with life at Old Trafford.

That’s according to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, who added that the Welshman is to turn down the offer of a reduced coaching position from new manager Jose Mourinho.

Giggs, who has been at United for 29 years, was assistant to the Portuguese’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal.

Wheeler continued:

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It is believed that Giggs has yet to speak directly with Mourinho, who starts work at Carrington with his backroom team on Monday, and a last-ditch attempt to keep the United legend at his only professional club cannot be ruled out.

But Giggs appears to have made up his mind to go after growing disillusioned by how the club has been run in recent years.

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It’s stated in the report the 42-year-old was given assurances he would be handed the manager’s position after being part of the coaching staff under Van Gaal and before him, David Moyes. He is also said to feel as though there is “little appetite” from the new manager to keep him at the club.

Football journalist Liam Canning thinks it’d be a sad day if Giggs left, although he doubted whether the former midfielder deserved the manager’s job:

What is undeniable is the fact that United will be missing something should he depart. When any new manager comes in, it’s important to have links to successful spells in the past, and that’s something Giggs would have provided. He played for the Red Devils 963 times, winning the UEFA Champions League twice and the Premier League a staggering 13 times.

For a man who showed such a winning mentality during his time on the field, he’ll be keen to enjoy success off it, too. The fact he’s gone into coaching is a clear indicator Giggs wants to stay involved in football and he was always going to be tied with United. But it’d be a huge risk giving him the top job at this point.

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Fox Sports’ Keith Costigan believes it’s important for Giggs’ development to move on and his stature in the game will see him command an exciting managerial role:

At this point, United couldn’t have risked handing him the job. The club is at a low ebb by their own high standards and given the calibre of managers in the division now—Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Ronald Koeman alone are in the north-west area—they couldn’t have gambled with falling behind further. A Mourinho-like figure was needed to haul the club off its haunches.

All the hallmarks are there for Giggs to become a brilliant manager due to his leadership, experience and will to win. However, he’s managed four matches—winning two, drawing one and losing the other—in a caretaker capacity.

Regardless of his playing career and affinity with the club, that’s not befitting of a United manager; now the Welshman needs to prove he has what it takes to fulfil the role further on down the line.