Manchester United’s legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had his say on Ryan Giggs leaving the club after 29 years at Old Trafford.
The Welshman was assistant to former manager Louis van Gaal for two seasons and it was widely believed that the United hierarchy wanted Giggs to take over from the Dutchman once his stint ended.
However all those plans were dismantled by Manchester United’s horrendous 2015-16 campaign under Louis van Gaal. The club sacked the Iron Tulip at the end of the season and appointed former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho in his place.
The Portuguese manager will now bring in his own coaching staff, including long-time assistant Rui Faria. Ryan Giggs is set to bid farewell to the club that he has been associated with for 29 years.
The manager who oversaw his development from a U-16 player to assistant manager has now had his say on the matter. Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Jose Mourinho is justified in his decision to bring in his own personnel, and has backed Giggs to make it on his own.
“You have got to have, in your assistant, someone you have trusted all your life,” Ferguson told BBC.
“When I came to United, I brought Archie Knox because he was a valuable person for me. I trusted him 100%. Jose Mourinho has had his assistant for years and, quite rightly, has stuck by his own man…If Jose hadn’t had an assistant, I know he would have taken Ryan,” he said.
Ferguson also urged his former ward to take on the challenge and stated that he had quality, character and personality to be a successful manager. The Scotsman advised Giggs to go to a club which enjoyed stable management, rather than one where the manager was sacked after ‘every two minutes’.
Ryan Giggs began his journey at Manchester United in November, 1987, rising through the ranks to become a pivotal member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils. Together they won an astonishing 13 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups and 2 Champions League trophies. With his former mentor urging him to take the plunge into management without the pedestal of his lifelong club, Giggs now has a massive challenge ahead of him and it remains to be seen what he makes of it.
