Scholes: ‘Sad’ if (my mate) Giggs leaves United

Sarah Winterburn

Paul Scholes has shockingly said that it would be “very sad” if his friend Ryan Giggs leaves Manchester United after 29 years at the club.

Giggs has reportedly been offered a job as manager of Manchester United’s Under-21 side but that is essentially a demotion after working as an assistant manager for three years.

Scholes – one of the most vocal critics of Louis van Gaal’s reign before his sacking – told Sky Sports News: “If he left the club I think it would be very sad.

“He’s been there 20-odd years and knows the place inside-out, how the club works and what kind of football is expected. It would be really disappointing if he did leave.

“It’s all down to personal preference, it depends on Mourinho and what he wants Ryan to do – if he wants him to assist him like he did with Van Gaal – and what Ryan wants to do. If he wants to go away and manage then I’m sure he’ll be very good at it.

“I hope Mourinho is the right man. Jose’s been at big clubs and had success. He’s won something at every club he’s been at, and he’ll be expected to do it again.”

His former teammate Peter Schmeichel said: “There are two sides; the club side and the Ryan side. I think Ryan’s big dream is to one day manage United.

“To be equipped to do that, he has to go away and be a manager at other clubs – standing on his own two feet, making decisions, producing results, getting his own ideas in – rather than step-up from being assistant.

“I think, for him, it would be a good idea to go somewhere else. On the other hand Ryan is a culture bearer. He is someone who has been at the club for a very long time, and it’s so important that we have that within the staff.

“He is someone who knows what the club is, knows the tradition and history – knows everything about it. Whatever he decides, it’s down to him and, whatever he decides, I think that will be the right decision.

“But I would like to see him go away and come back some day prepared for the challenge because we’ve seen that, in the last three years at United, it’s a hard job to be manager there. It’s not something you can just step up and do.”