Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs Nearing Retirement: Is Manchester United Dynasty Dying?

Manchester United is arguably one of the most recognized and celebrated clubs in the world, and consistently fields a squad that competes and triumphs at the highest level in domestic and international competitions.

For the better half of the last two decades, United had two of the clubs’ most distinguished players ever grace the organization: Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

The midfield duo represented a masterful display of top-flight skill and accomplishment that contemporary players will be hard-pressed to replicate.

As their careers wind down, an era of United football will be sorely missed by avid supporters, but as big and distinguished as the club is, there are plenty of rising stars who ultimately will begin a new epoch of equally impressive proportions.

Scholes, 35, has appeared in 649 fixtures for United since 1994, netting 150 goals over an illustrious career spent entirely with the Red Devils.

Giggs, 36, has been on the roster since the 1990 campaign, appearing in 845 games from all competitions with 157 goals of his own.

Reputed as a couple of the most proficient tacticians in the Premier League, even today, the pair provided the consistency, stability and scoring potential in the middle third that all clubs covet.

United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has been the head man at Old Trafford since 1986 and has seen the careers of Scholes and Giggs mature and progress into a deadly combination.

There are very few managers in the world who can match Ferguson’s status in the football world as he closes in on 800 wins for United, with a total 1,134 career victories.

Do the departures or retirements of these three United keystones mean the end of a top-notch dynasty in the Premiership? The answer is no.

And while this trio contributed to hundreds of wins for the club, there are eleven players on the pitch, and countless others who have weighted their impact for one of the most dominating teams in England. 

Aging Contributions

Gary Neville, 35, and John O’Shea, 29, also have spent their entire careers playing for United, and others like Darren Fletcher and Rio Ferdinand have had lasting impacts of their own.

More recently, Patrica Evra, Owen Hargreaves, Nemanja Vidic, and Dimitar Berbatov—all over 26 years old—have joined the ranks to continue a very long string of success. 

The End of an Era Heralds the Dawn of a New One

United fans need not worry, for once the players in their mid-20s move on from Old Trafford, an excess of ultra-talented young stars wait in the wings to leave their own impressions on the Manchester club.

The fact that Wayne Rooney’s name appears now is a testament to the flow of star players through the organization, and at just 24 years old, he is poised to become one of the greatest contributors of all time.

Apart from the prolific winger Nani, 23, United grips a large handful of under-22s who possess some of the best talent in the Premiership.

Alongside Rooney and Nani, this group certainly will look to be a core for some years to come, though transfers are inevitably part of the game:

—Federico Macheda, FW, 19

—Fabio Pereira da Silva, DF, 20

—Rafeal Pereira da Silver, DF, 20

—Bebé, FW/Winger, 20

—Chris Smalling, DF, 20

—Gabriel Obertan, Winger, 21

—Javier Hernández, FW, 22

—Darren Gibson, MF, 22

United supporters are elated now with the success of their club.

Though it is easy to take old-timers like Giggs, Scholes, and Edwin van der Sar for granted, the litany of up and coming youngsters should never extinguish the bright lights of success of the organization.