Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs is reportedly considering his future at the club after being offered a different role, not as an assistant manager.
The Welshman has held the role under both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, but with the latter expected to be sacked on Monday, it isn’t expected that Giggs will be offered the same role if Jose Mourinho is appointed as the new manager.
According to ESPN FC, while the Portuguese tactician would want to keep Giggs involved given his experience and popularity at the club, he will be keen on bringing in his own staff to work around him.
That in turn would see Giggs demoted to a coaching role instead, and that has led to suggestions that he may well consider leaving Old Trafford in order to further his own managerial career.
The 42-year-old has yet to make an official decision, but after years of being touted as a future United boss, it remains to be seen how long that process takes before he is handed the top job.
As a result, it arguably makes sense for him to now look elsewhere and gain experience of dealing with the pressure and factors that come with being a manager at a top club, with a view of returning to United when the position becomes available again in the future.
United will naturally hope that their decision to appoint Mourinho will result in plenty of success both on and off the pitch for years to come, although there will naturally be disappointment within certain sections of supporters that Giggs hasn’t been given an opportunity to impress as manager yet.
Nevertheless, the argument that he must follow in the footsteps of many of his former teammates who have coached around England and Europe in order to gain experience is a solid one, and it may well benefit Giggs in the long term if he does indeed move away from the club for the time being.