Man. U legend leaving after 29 years at
club
Ryan Giggs has ended his 29-year stay at
Manchester United by agreeing a settlement with the Old Trafford club.
United
are expected to release an official statement in the coming days.
Giggs,
42, had a year remaining on his contract as assistant manager but new boss Jose
Mourinho intends to fill that role with long-time friend RuiFaria.
Unable
to reach agreement over another role at the Premier League club, Giggs, who
made a record 963 appearances for United, has decided to move on.
Cardiff-born
Giggs has passed all his coaching badges and has never made any secret of his
desire to move into management.
Linked with Swansea last season, he felt he
was ready to manage United, having served his apprenticeship under David Moyes
and then Louis van Gaal.
But
he was known to be less than impressed with how Van Gaal's exit was handled by
United, when news of the Dutchman's sacking emerged moments after the club's FA
Cup final success.
Giggs
was also disappointed to be overlooked in favour of former Chelsea and Real
Madrid boss Mourinho, whose appointment was confirmed in May.
Giggs
joined the United academy on his 14th birthday, turning professional aged 17 in
November 1990 and making his first-team debut against Everton on 2 March, 1991.
He
won a record 13 league titles, two European Cups, four FA Cups and four League
Cups to become the most decorated British player of all time.
He
became a player-coach following the arrival of Moyes as manager in 2013, taking
control of the first team for the final four games of the season after the
Scot's dismissal.
Giggs
was then appointed as assistant-manager by Van Gaal in 2014.
In
the 2013-14 season, he was made a player-coach by Moyes and retired as a player
that summer, aged 40, before signing a three-year deal as Van Gaal's number
two, with the pair leading United to their first FA Cup win in 12 years last
season.
Giggs
represented one of the final links to the Ferguson era - and given his service
and achievements at United, the club risk a potential PR disaster in letting
him leave.
The
Welshman was largely responsible for promoting exciting 18-year-old England
striker Marcus Rashford to the first team last season and is the embodiment of
the United traditions of a commitment to youth and attacking football.
However,
he was part of a static management team criticised by fans, pundits and former
players for a dull style of play which ultimately cost Dutchman Van Gaal his
job.
What next?
Led by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward,
United are now a different club to the trophy-winning juggernaut of the Sir
Alex Ferguson era.
With
a revised transfer policy of world-class marquee signings and the abrupt
termination of Moyes and Van Gaal's contracts, along with the appointment of
Mourinho, winning has been prioritised ahead of longevity and long-term
planning.
Despite
one senior member of the club's hierarchy saying last year that Giggs
"triple-ticked" many essential components needed for the manager's
job, he remains unproven at the highest level.
Giggs
has made no secret of wanting to manage United in the future and it was thought
the club had a long-term plan with the same aim.
He
is unlikely to be short of offers from chairmen ready to give the Welshman his
first permanent managerial role, having passed all the relevant Uefa coaching
qualifications and served his apprenticeship at one of the biggest clubs in the
world.
Wales
manager Chris Coleman has previously said Giggs could benefit from the
"spark" of stepping out of his "comfort zone" at United,
backing him to "cut his teeth somewhere else and prove he has what it takes
to go back there".
Similarly,
United goalkeeping great and former team-mate Peter Schmeichel said Giggs
should "learn the trade" of management at another club.
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