Ryan Giggs has admitted that he was underprepared for his brief tenure as Manchester United manager, but revealed his excitement at his new role as Louis van Gaal’s assistant.
Giggs, who ended his playing career in May after 963 appearances and 13 Premier League titles with the club, took the reins as caretaker manager for last season’s final four games following David Moyes’s sacking, leading United to two wins, a draw and a defeat.
“When I took the job there were a lot of things that I was quite happy with, but there was the odd thing where I thought: ‘I’m not quite ready for this,’” he told thefa.com.
“Obviously I have gained that experience from Sir Alex [Ferguson] but last year I was still playing so I wasn’t really focused on the coaching and the other side of things.”
Van Gaal, who has won league titles in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, will join Giggs and the rest of the Manchester United staff in mid-July after completing his spell as manager of Holland, who have provided some of the World Cup’s most thrilling moments. Despite his international commitments, the Dutchman has already completed the first two signings of his reign, with the Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera and England’s 18-year-old left-back Luke Shaw joining the club in the recent days.
Giggs believes that working with Van Gaal will further his own development as a coach. “This year I can put everything into it and learn from someone who has managed at the top in so many other countries,” he said.
“It has been a good thing that I have been with Sir Alex for so long but also I am now getting to see how other people work as well. I got a taste of David Moyes and now Louis van Gaal this year. He is a world-class coach and I know I will learn a lot about coaching from being able to observe and contribute at such close quarters.”
On Thursday, Giggs completed his Uefa pro licence, the highest-level managerial qualification in European football, at St George’s Park, the Football Association’s national base in Burton upon Trent.
“It helped me in gaining confidence in speaking in front of the players and putting on meetings and structuring the week regarding training,” he said. “As a manager you are thinking about things 24/7 and this course definitely helps you get to grips with that.”
