Ryan Giggs on Friday described his appointment as Manchester United’s temporary manager as probably the proudest moment of an illustrious career spent at Old Trafford.
Giggs will take charge of United’s remaining four games of the season as the club begin their search for a permanent successor to manager David Moyes, whose dismissal was confirmed on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old will lead the team for first time against relegation-threatened Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday, adding another chapter to his remarkable United story, which has seen him become English football’s most decorated player in almost 1,000 appearances for the club.
“It’s a club I have supported all my life and I’ve been associated with for 25 years and it’s a proud moment for me and one I will enjoy,” said Giggs as he addressed his first media conference in his managerial role.
“I’ve enjoyed the week and I’m proud more than anything. It’s probably the proudest moment of my career and one I’m going to enjoy for the remaining two-and-a-half weeks of the season and bring back some smiles on to the faces of the fans.
“I can’t wait for Saturday to come and 5.30pm against Norwich. I know the stadium will be bouncing. The players have been really good in training this week and they are all excited as well.
“Everyone is looking sharp and I just want them to enjoy themselves and give the fans something to smile about in the remaining four games. It’s been a frustrating season and I want to end it on a high.”
Giggs was previously operating in a player-coach role and although it’s not thought he was given much of a brief under Moyes, Giggs expressed his gratitude to the former Everton manager for elevating him to the coaching staff.
– Dismal season –
“I’d like to thank David for giving me my first chance in coaching,” he added. “It was something I’ll always remember when he rang me in the summer and asked me to come on board.”
Under Moyes, United suffered a dismal season, going from champions in Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge to near also-rans in seventh place in the Premier League table.
And even though Giggs, 13 times a Premier League winner and twice a Champions League winner with United, has been told he won’t be considered for the permanent position as the club’s next manager, he is determined to restore some of United’s lost lustre in the closing weeks of the campaign.
“It’s been a frustrating season for everyone. We win together and lose together and in these remaining four games, I want to bring the positivity back,” said Giggs, who still considers himself a player and joked that he had used his temporary position of power to award himself a new five-year contract.
“We have three home games at Old Trafford, where the home form hasn’t been great, and I want to see goals, tackles, players taking players on and getting the crowd up. I want the passion that should come with being a Manchester United player.
“It’s going to be my philosophy and obviously the Manchester United philosophy as I’ve been here for all my career. I want players to play with passion, speed, tempo and be brave with imagination, all the things that are expected of a Manchester United player: to work hard but, most of all, enjoy it.
“As a player I know if I’m enjoying the game I can express myself a lot more and that’s what I’ll be doing with the team tomorrow.”