In an era of instant gratification, where players are offloaded for various reasons such as not fitting into a certain system, filling in the club’s coffers due to high market value, joining a larger club to fulfill their potential, the phrase “one-club man” is almost extinct. These are men who have seen a huge change in terms of management, administration, coaching staff and have still held their place in the locker room.
In the current decade, Manchester United were the only ones who possessed three such individuals. While Paul Scholes eventually shifted to punditry, Gary Neville made a name for himself at Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show. Only one of them stayed behind – Ryan Giggs.
Giggs worked closely with the Louis van Gaal and saw the club plunge to the depths of missing out on European football after being crowned champions . Although no one will begrudge Ryan Giggs as he finally departs Old Trafford to pursue his coaching career, his unparalleled insight might be missed by Jose Mourinho.
Giggs needs no introduction to those who have followed football over the years. An entire generation is accustomed to the sight of the Welshman “running down the wing” and tearing apart defences. He had been very clear about his ambitions of being a coach post-retirement, so United fans were glad to see him start his new journey at his home.
His appointment as assistant manager under Louis Van Gaal made sense as there was no one better than Giggs to help the Dutchman acclimatize himself to the rigours of the Premier League.
Once the murmurs of Mourinho taking charge started, Giggs’ role came into question. And once the appointment of the Portuguese was confirmed, Ryan Giggs finally announced his departure on 2nd July, 2016.
Mourinho’s trusted backroom staff
Ever since they forged their partnership, current assistant manager Rui Faria has been a part of all the teams led by Mourinho and they have won a trophy in almost every calendar year.
New goalkeeping coach Silvino Lauro was considered to be a major factor in Petr Cech’s swift rise to becoming one of the safest pair of hands, after he joined Chelsea in Mourinho’s first reign there.
Lauro is also greatly praised by Julio Cesar, who worked with him at his peak with Inter Milan when he was also considered one of the best keepers in the world. Having such a successful background staff coupled with Mourinho’s remarkable record of winning trophies as a coach should be a seemingly hopeful scenario for Man Utd. fans.
However, the club’s legacy to football lies not in creating an evolution of a technical style, but being a constant personification of boundless determination which has helped them recover from what seemed like dead ends to champions.
Argument for Giggs
In the current generation, no individual has exemplified this attitude than Ryan Giggs did.
After the initial hiccups of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign, the club hit the ground the running once the First Division was transformed into the Premier League. There were brief spells of dominance from London, but despite that, the club has won a remarkable 13 championships in 23 years. It is a run which has seen numerous turnarounds both within matches, throughout a season and at a macroscopic level as well.
Giggs has seen all the lows, all the highs, all the transformative periods under Sir Alex’s reign.
He knows the virtue of patience as well as leading the team whenever they have to “throw everything, including the kitchen sink” during “Fergie time”. As a player, he knows how to keep a team motivated by playing under the greatest man motivator in footballing history, Sir Alex Ferguson.
It is a vault of memories and implemented examples which only a limited few have to access to. It is a treasure chest which could have proven handy to Mourinho under crunch situations.
Van Gaal approves of him
Despite all the criticisms that Louis van Gaal has faced, the undeniable fact is that he has a remarkable eye for talent. He has spotted the potential of players who have become club legends after being promoted to the first team by him. The same goes for him grooming coaches as well. Mourinho himself was one of Van Gaal’s protégés as was Ronald Koeman.
So when he says he likes Giggs’ work ethics and hard working attitude, it is no small praise. “I am impressed by his hard-working attitude because ex-players are not often good examples of hard-working managers,” Van Gaal had said in an interview earlier this year. The same person who spotted future gems like Kluivert, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi, Valdes, Thomas Muller, Holger Badstuber, David Alaba, and gave them their first team debuts.
The same person who had the foresight to convert Bastian Schweinsteiger into a commanding central midfielder from a right winger. He failed at Old Trafford, but he had spotted a future gem in Giggs. Maybe Mourinho and Ed Woodward might have done harder to convince him to stay.
It is a winning background staff that Mourinho has brought to the Theatre of Dreams and one cannot pass judgment at the start of a season. It might be a reign which has all the elements which United fans have craved for since Sir Alex left.
However, a generation of fans have grown accustomed to the sight of one of the most decorated football players in history, either on the pitch or in the dugout. It is a sight which, more than the fans, the players will miss.
His advice and guidance have proved crucial in the dressing room. They will no longer have that. It is a factor which the powers that be might rue to miss, as Manchester United gear up to add a new chapter to their books.
