Jose Mourinho did not want Ryan Giggs at Old Trafford despite Ed Woodward’s reluctance to keep him.
Upon the arrival of Jose Mourinho in 2016, the Portuguese International decided against keeping the Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs as backroom staff. The Welsh International played a crucial hand under the management of Louis Van Gaal which lead to the FA Cup triumph in 2016.
The news is breaking out that the vice-chairman Ed Woodward wanted to keep Ryan Giggs at Old Trafford, but Mourinho rejected that idea.
According to The Times‘ story ‘The Inside Story Of How It Fell Apart’, this was the reason behind his thinking:
“Woodward was keen to keep Ryan Giggs on, but Mourinho vetoed the idea because he did not think the Welshman was a man he could trust because of his extra-marital affair with his brother’s wife.”
The former Manchester United manager opted for Michael Carrick, who opted to retire after last campaign, spending twelve years as a player at the red side of Manchester.
However, personal life and professional life should not be analogized together as both are entirely different cases. After the departure of Rui Faria, Mourinho could have used the experience of Ryan Giggs, but chose an inexperienced candidate and lost his job for a petty reason.
Ed Woodward held a one-on-one conversation with Jose Mourinho on Tuesday to announce that he has been sacked. His sacking came as a shock, but some of the players in the squad will be relieved to see him go after struggling to find their feet under him. Despite all these reports, Mourinho said he would always be grateful to Manchester United.
“I have been immensely proud to wear the badge of Manchester United since the first day I arrived, and I believe all United supporters recognise this.
“Just as was the case with my previous clubs, I have worked with some wonderful people and I believe that some will be my friends for life.
“I know that you are all aware of my professional principles. Each time a chapter is closed I show my deepest respect and I don’t make any comments about my former colleagues.
“I hope the media wil also respect my position and let me live my normal life until the moment I decide to return to football.
“Merry Christmas.”
Upon his departure, Manchester United have announced that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has decided to take over the club on an interim basis until the end of the season. Ed Woodward said that his arrival could prove to turn things at the club.
“Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles. His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.
“We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.” he said.
The Norwegian spent twelve years at Old Trafford in between 1996 and 2007, scoring 126 goals in 366 appearances. In 2008 he was appointed as the club’s reserve manager, before taking the managerial role at Molde in Norway.
