Manchester United need an experienced manager – and winner – to halt what has become a rapid decline.
With current Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal expected to be sacked at the end of the season, the one man who shouldn’t replace him is Ryan Giggs.
The club legend has been part of the coaching staff during United’s worst period in the Premier League era. In the three seasons following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, United have won just 51 percent of games played in all competitions. That means, loosely speaking, every victory has come at the cost of a draw or defeat.
Giggs, of course, is not entirely responsible for that damning statistic. After all, he won 13 Premier League trophies, four FA Cups and two Champions League titles during his playing career.
In short, Giggs – on account of his remarkable longevity and trophy haul – will be fondly remembered as one of the finest British players of all time.
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However, it was largely Ferguson’s brilliance that delivered such unparalleled success between 1992 and 2013 – something that may never be replicated in the modern era. Since his retirement, United’s succession planning has been abysmal.
Hiring a ‘Ferguson-lite’ in the shape of David Moyes backfired miserably. Appointing Van Gaal, a vastly experienced manager, also failed. In the case of the Dutchman, it quickly became clear that his rigid and prescriptive style of football could not deliver success.
Just look at Leicester City, who seem set to win the Premier League by playing fast, counter-attacking football. They have sacrificed passing and possession in favour of speed and directness.
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The point is that United desperately need to get their next managerial appointment right. What was labelled as transition under Moyes has become decline under Van Gaal. Handing the reins to Giggs, a man whose experience extends to just four games in an interim capacity, would be a gamble at best and completely brainless at worst.
United now have to go down one of two routes.
On the one hand, they could take a short-term view of the situation and look to appoint someone who will deliver silverware immediately: Jose Mourinho. With Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, appointing the Portuguese would give United a chance of competing with their bitter rivals for trophies.
On the flip side, they could take a long-term view and completely restructure the club from top to bottom. That’s arguably what should have happened three years ago. As well as appointing a Director of Football, hiring a progressive and up-and-coming manager as part of, to use football’s modern term, a project would ensure the club moves in the right direction on and off the field. Mauricio Pochettino would be the frontrunner in this regard.
Giggs, for his part, fits into neither of these two categories. He has no experience and would be learning on the job – a frightening prospect when you consider that United are one of the world’s biggest clubs and businesses.
For that reason, Giggs’ next move should be to go out and become a manager in his own right. Whether it’s taking charge of one of United’s youth teams, managing a Championship club or even moving abroad, it’s important that he gains experience of some sort.
Advocates of Giggs becoming United’s next manager will point to Pep Guardiola’s success at Barcelona and Zinedine Zidane’s recent appointment at Real Madrid as examples of former players landing big jobs early in their managerial careers.
However, Guardiola managed Barcelona B for one season and Zidane managed Real Madrid Castilla for two seasons. Their education in the world of football management began at reserve-team level – and, of course, when they did eventually step up to manage the senior team, each club was more stable and successful than United are right now.
It’s admirable, in a sense, that Giggs would be so willing to manage United when the club is at its lowest point for some time. But his lack of experience and know-how, combined with United’s struggles on and off the field, means that now is simply not the right time for him to be appointed first-team manager.
Handing Giggs a role on United’s coaching staff made sense. Mentored by Van Gaal, the plan was for him to learn his trade under the Dutchman, draw on his experience, and then takeover from him following a short period of stability and success.
It hasn’t worked out like that, though.
The damage done under Moyes and now Van Gaal means that, through no real fault of his own, Giggs’ budding managerial career has stalled in the last two seasons. If United make the sensible decision to appoint a proven and experienced manager, Giggs will be back to square one.
The next move for Giggs – and United – is so important. The Welshman needs to hone his skills as a manager in his own right, while United need to appoint an experienced manager with a winning record.
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There’s no doubt that, at some point in the future, it would be magnificent to see Giggs managing United. For now, however, it’s too much of a gamble and one that makes little sense for either party.