Ryan Giggs set for shock return to dugout as Man Utd legend looks to rekindle coaching career

After four years in the footballing wilderness, Ryan Giggs has taken on a new role in recent months.

Giggs, 51, is best known for his 24-year career at Manchester United. During his trophy-laden time at the club, he made 963 appearances under the watchful eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.

After hanging up his boots in 2014, he was appointed the Red Devils’ interim manager after David Moyes was sacked.

Giggs then became Louis van Gaal’s assistant manager before leaving United in July 2016 following the arrival of Jose Mourinho.

In 2018, he finally made the step up to being a manager with Wales, who he played for on 64 occasions.

But several off-the-field issues followed, with Giggs formally resigning from his role as head coach in 2022 despite stepping down two years earlier.

However, on Saturday evening, he will return to TV screens as he steps into the dugout at the Etihad Stadium ahead of Salford City’s third-round FA Cup tie against Manchester City.

Of course, Giggs is just one of the co-owners of the League Two outfit alongside his Class of ’92 former United teammates Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.

Ryan Giggs is a coach at Salford City (Credit:Getty)

Since October, the Welshman has traded the boardroom for the dugout after assistant coach Simon Wiles left Salford for a role at United. And Alex Bruce, head coach Karl Robinson’s assistant, stepped aside ahead of a match against Crewe following the tragic death of his four-month-old nephew.

Giggs has now explained why he was the man to step in.

“Karl was literally going to be left on his own,” Giggs told The Athletic. “So I said, ‘Right, I’ll come on the bench with you’.

“It was just me and Karl, the physio, goalkeeping coach, and sport scientist. I enjoyed it. Karl enjoyed it. And we were saving a little bit of money, not getting another coach in.”

Since then, Bruce has returned but Giggs has remained in a supporting role alongside Robinson overseeing a run of just two losses in 16 games and six wins in a row in recent months.

Saturday’s trip to City is the club’s first-ever third-round FA Cup tie with an added edge given the Manchester United connections associated with Salford.