After nearly 30 years of service as a player, coach and assistant manager, Ryan Giggs is set to leave Manchester United after rejecting an offer of a reduced role under José Mourinho and agreeing a settlement package with the club.
There had been weeks of speculation surrounding Giggs’ exit from Old Trafford after Mourinho had been given the managerial reigns and rumours have suggested that the Welshman is unhappy that he was not considered for the job after Louis van Gaal’s exit, as was once suggested by many.
But did Giggs really think he was going to get the managerial job with so little experience under his belt? After all, the only managerial experience that the 42-year-old has is four games in charge after David Moyes was sacked as United manager back in April 2014.
It’s definitely the right decision for Giggs to leave Old Trafford to further his managerial career elsewhere in order to repair his reputation as a coach – after all, his involvement during the Moyes and Van Gaal eras has understandably tarred the Welshman by association.
It’s also equally understandable that Mourinho had decided to give Giggs a reduced role within the club and it wouldn’t have surprised anybody had the Portuguese manager revealed that he saw Giggs as a threat to his job instead of an ally.
But the way that Giggs’ departure has played out has been very untidy and the club’s most decorated player deserves better. This is a man that has made a club-record 963 appearances and won almost everything that there has been to offer at club level.
This is a man that has given the club some of its finest moments, including that incredible solo goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final of 1999 – a goal that would form one of the key pieces in United’s Treble-winning season.
This is a man that has been there through the good times with Sir Alex Ferguson and the bad times with Moyes and Louis van Gaal. This is a man that has proved to be an enduring presence when seismic changes have occurred at United in the past three years. Giggs deserves better than to be shunted out the back door without any fanfare whatsoever.
Once again, United have let the Giggs situation play out in the public eye and in the papers, just as they did when they sacked Moyes and when Van Gaal received his marching orders a couple of months ago. In three years, the club has now changed from conducting matters with class to airing out the dirty laundry in public.
In the case of Moyes, the Scotsman was sacked throughout the media after being given repeated assurances by current chief executive Ed Woodward that his job was safe and the club would honour the long-term contract that had been given to him.
With Van Gaal, the situation was even worse. Moments after winning the FA Cup and before even clambering up the famous steps to lift the trophy, the rumours had already started that the Dutchman would be given his P45. A day later, Woodward pulled the trigger, completely overshadowing the first trophy that United had won after the Sir Alex era.
It’s certainly a sea change from when chief executive David Gill and Sir Alex were in charge at Old Trafford. If Giggs had left United when they were in charge, I’d have no doubts that everyone would have been conducted swiftly behind closed doors and he would have been given a dignified exit from the club.
There is no question that Woodward has enhanced the United brand throughout the world and now the club is reaping the financial benefits from its numerous sponsorships. It’s one of the reasons why the Glazers consider him and his team indispensable. However, Woodward needs to learn to conduct club business in private and stop leaks from getting out to the media.
Giggs will no doubt get managerial offers from several clubs once his exit is officially confirmed – he does hold a UEFA Pro License and has served his coaching apprenticeship at one of the biggest clubs in the world. But the manner in which United have let this play out has been nothing short of disgraceful and the club are heading into a public relations disaster once this news is confirmed.
