Ryan Giggs has a decision to make if Jose Mourinho joins Manchester United, but Zinedine Zidane can sway him
Ryan Giggs could choose to stay at Manchester United under Jose Mourinho Getty
There was a time when Ryan Giggs regarded Champions League semi-finals as nothing more than part of the job during his playing days at Manchester United.
The most decorated player in the club’s history played in seven semi-final ties in the competition, emerging victorious on four occasions, but it has been a while – five years and counting – since United and Giggs have had to plot their route to the Champions League final and it is anyone’s guess as to when they will do so again and, more pertinently, whether they will do so together.
But with Zinedine Zidane preparing to lead Real Madrid into their semi-final second-leg against Manchester City in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, it seems an appropriate juncture to question how Giggs will negotiate the fork in the road that is approaching at Old Tr afford.
The two men are Champions League royalty, although Zidane lies in
Giggs’s considerable shadow having won just one European Cup after 80
appearances in the competition. Giggs lifted the trophy twice and, with
143 Champions League appearances, is behind only Iker Casillas and Xavi
in the all-time charts for games played in the tournament.
Zidane is just a year older than Giggs and the pair were regular rivals on the pitch for the best part of a decade between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, yet while Zidane has now been trusted with the top job at Real following the sacking of Rafael Benitez in January, the increasing volume surrounding Jose Mourinho and United suggests that Giggs is once again facing a decision over whether to stick or twist at the club he has served for all of his professional career.
If United dispense with Louis van Gaal’s services this summer, as appears increasingly likely, and turn to Mourinho, what will that mean for Giggs?
There was a time when Ryan Giggs regarded Champions League semi-finals as nothing more than part of the job during his playing days at Manchester United.
The most decorated player in the club’s history played in seven semi-final ties in the competition, emerging victorious on four occasions, but it has been a while – five years and counting – since United and Giggs have had to plot their route to the Champions League final and it is anyone’s guess as to when they will do so again and, more pertinently, whether they will do so together.
But with Zinedine Zidane preparing to lead Real Madrid into their semi-final second-leg against Manchester City in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, it seems an appropriate juncture to question how Giggs will negotiate the fork in the road that is approaching at Old Tr afford.
Martial the shining light as Man United still haunted by ages past
Zidane is just a year older than Giggs and the pair were regular rivals on the pitch for the best part of a decade between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, yet while Zidane has now been trusted with the top job at Real following the sacking of Rafael Benitez in January, the increasing volume surrounding Jose Mourinho and United suggests that Giggs is once again facing a decision over whether to stick or twist at the club he has served for all of his professional career.
If United dispense with Louis van Gaal’s services this summer, as appears increasingly likely, and turn to Mourinho, what will that mean for Giggs?
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