‘It can be a even Eddie
MORE at home basking in adulation from thousands of fans, the desperate feeling of loneliness hit Ryan Giggs hard when he closed his office door after his first day as a manager.
He will never forget the memory. On April 26, 2014, Manchester United beat Norwich 4-0 at Old Trafford in his first match following the sacking of David Moyes. It was as if his glittering playing career was destined to continue to life in the dug-out.
Then came the hammer blow. “I learnt a lot about how lonely it was when I was United manager,” he says, recalling that four-game stint as interim boss. “When you shut the door of your office and everyone else has gone home, you’re on your own.
“It’s good to have people around and you want those people to be the ones you trust but it can still be a lonely place. Ultimately you’re the boss and you have to make the decisions.”
On May 19 that year, United appointed Dutchman Louis van Gaal as manager, with Giggs working as his assistant. He left United in 2016 and had a long period away from the spotlight.
During that time, however, he remained busy, revealing how a dinner with England’s rugby coach Eddie Jones and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte turned quickly into a “nightmare”.
“I spoke to a lot of managers in the time I was out of the game,” says Giggs. “I was in between Conte and Eddie at a charity dinner and I was constantly trying to talk to them. That was a nightmare as Eddie was trying to ask me questions about Sir Alex Ferguson and I wanted to get everything out of him!
“I have only known football since I left school and time away was good – but now it is the right time to go on my own.”
And it certainly seems to have worked – his reign in charge of Wales could barely have started any better, with Gareth Bale’s hat-trick helping to secure a 6-0 thrashing of China in the China Cup on Wednesday. “Just like a player you always want to improve and you look at the best,” says Giggs. “Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are always looking to improve. Where do I? I’m not a naturally outgoing person. Everything just comes with that little bit of experience.” His extraordinary career on the field