Manchester United FC manager throws question mark over Ryan Giggs' future

Jose Mourinho's looming appointment as Manchester United FC manager throws question mark over Ryan Giggs' future.

Ryan Giggs, assistant to Louis van Gaal, will wonder what the future holds when Jose Mourinho comes in

Giggs has been at Old Trafford for almost 30 years, but it remains to be seen what the future holds as Mourinho leapfrogs him to become Van Gaal's successor.

Jose Mourinho's impending appointment as Manchester United manager raises a question mark over Ryan Giggs' near 30-year association with the Old Trafford giants.

Mourinho is expected to be named as Louis van Gaal's successor in the coming days, despite United's 2-1 FA Cup triumph over Crystal Palace.

It means United's plan of giving the job to Giggs next year by grooming him as Van Gaal's successor will be blown out of the water.

Giggs may well be offered the opportunity to work under Mourinho, but he could decide the time has come to walk away and try to become a manager in his own right.

Swansea City were heavily linked with Giggs when Garry Monk parted company with the club last year, while he was also in the betting for the Cardiff City job.

There are a clutch of other clubs in the UK who would covet giving Giggs his big managerial break if and when United choose the Mourinho option instead.

Giggs joined United in 1987 and has spent 29 years at the club as player and coach.

But it remains to be seen what happens next and whether Mourinho would want to appoint his own number two.

Sir Alex Ferguson's former assistant Rene Meulensteen believes Giggs is a better option than Mourinho and urged the Old Trafford powerbrokers to give the Welshman his chance.

Meulensteen, who worked for six years under Ferguson, said: "People say that Ryan has no managerial experience, but he has more experience of Manchester United than many of the coaches that could come in. That is a big plus for him.

“He knows the identity of the club and has been part of a successful period at the club for so many years. He would know what it takes to get United back to where they should be.”

Former United player Phil Neville also spoke up for Giggs, arguing the natural way for United to go was for Van Gaal to get one more year and then hand over the reins to his deputy.

But he admitted: "Jose is a proven winner, a proven champion. United fans want a team that will challenge for the league title, not a team that finishes seventh or fifth, and Jose is probably the man for the job.

"Knowing Jose as I do, I think he will have done his homework and he's meticulous in his planning. Don't be surprised if United in the next month, and particularly before the Euros, sign three or four players and when he gets to pre-season he has his squad already in place.

"He knows who he wants and at the start he will demand United sign those players for United to become championship challengers again."

United skipper Wayne Rooney declined to talk about Mourinho, saying: "I don’t want to speak about Louis van Gaal leaving. He’s still our manager and I think it’s a bit unfair after we’ve just won the FA Cup to speak about him as if he isn’t here.

"I think he’s a good manager. I’m grateful he’s helped us win this FA Cup. We’ve had a taste of success and hopefully that can kick us on to win more."

source: www.walesonline.co.uk