Ryan Giggs’ departure signals the end of the Ferguson era at Manchester United

 For long Manchester United has prided itself on being different. In an era of crass commercialisation, despite being one of the most sponsor-friendly clubs in the world, Manchester United has always maintained that they’re a club with a difference. But with the news that Ryan Giggs is leaving, the last remnant from the Ferguson era is being cut off and the Manchester United we now see has no resemblance to the team Ferguson built and rebuilt. 

Earlier, Manchester United had a halo around its head that seemed to suggest to every other club in the country: “We are different, we don’t sack our manager if the results fall, we stick around with them, and we give youth a chance.”

Manchester United’s era of domination of English football began in the early 90s, winning till 13 of the 22 league titles between 1992 and 2013. Since the Ferguson era ended in 2013, bit by bit, all the values that Manchester United held dear have been eroding slowly. One of them was the firm belief in youth. While the signing of the talismanic Eric Cantona did play a part in Man Utd’s successes, the reliance was definitely more on youth, particularly the Class of 92 (Beckham, Scholes, Giggs, Neville brothers and Butt) to provide the foundation and continuity.

While some of them left, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, almost stuck around till the very end as they helped youngsters like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo blossom to their full potential and make the team the most dominant in the country. Even when Ferguson retired in 2013, he hand-picked David Moyes, a hard-working Scot who Fergie thought could emulate his success. To keep the continuity, David Moyes added Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville to the coaching staff, while Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were helping coach the U-19 team, to suggest that despite Ferguson’s retirement things would remain the same.

That’s when things went spectacularly tits up. Moyes failed, by all stretches of imagination, to even suggest that he was capable of filling up Ferguson’s huge shoes. Moyes was sacked, Giggs stepped in as interim manager with four games to go as old friends Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes also became part of the coaching staff. There was a clamour, at that time to hand the keys of the kingdom to Giggs and co.

Ed Woodward had a simple choice, trust the men who knew Manchester United inside out, or bring in an outsider. It was a debate that raged at Old Trafford before they settled on Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal who’d helped Netherlands to a respectable third in the 2014 World Cup. (Perhaps, given Gary Neville’s spectacular failure as manager at Valencia, Ed Woodward made the right choice.)

 A much-travelled manager, Van Gaal was supposed to help Manchester United back on their perch after a disappointing finish at 7th in the table. 

The Glazers also loosened the purse-strings, more than United had ever done during the Fergie reign, as he signed up the likes of Angel Di Maria (the most expensive fee paid by a British club), Radamel Falcao (on loan), Daley Blind, Marcus Rojo, Ander Herrera Morgan Schneiderlin, Luke Shaw and a host of new names which earned Manchester United the nickname Van Gaalacticos (after Real Madrid’s Galacticos).

Despite the arrival of so many superstars, Manchester United had an underwhelming season though they did manage to finish fourth and reach the Champions League. Even Van Gaal, despite all his years of management, just couldn’t get a grasp on the Manchester United job. Despite spending millions, the football was painful to watch.

Paul Scholes, now a pundit most renowned for calling a spade a spade, hit out more than once at Van Gaal’s style of play but there was one positive aspect of Van Gaal’s regime and that was the sheer number of young players who he brought in. Van Gaal gave 14 academy graduates a debut, including Marcus Rashford who’d has been inspirational and even ended up representing England at Euro 2016.

Another young prospect, Anthony Marital has also been superlative and there was some hope that two could recreated the Rooney-Ronaldo magic to take United back to the pinnacle. The Manchester United of yore might have allowed Van Gaal a chance, but Ed Woodward and the Manchester United board of directors decided enough was enough.

There would be no giving a second shot, similar to the one Ferguson got when Sir Bobby Charlton spoke up for him. The rug was pulled out beneath Van Gaal’s feet even before he knew it, and as he sat gloating with the FA Cup trophy at a presser, every journalist in the room knew that he had been sacked.

In another era, Van Gaal would’ve been allowed to build upon the promise of youth, but time is no longer a luxury at Manchester United. The pressures of the media, social media, millions of fans from across the globe, not to mention the gazillion sponsors means that United can’t languish far from the top for too long. The risk of going the Liverpool way and sliding too mid-table mediocrity is a reality none of the aforementioned will accept and that forced the board to move for Jose Mourinho. Giggs refusal to work for Mourinho in a diminished role is a symbol that neither Ferguson nor the Class of 92 has much say in affairs anymore. Mourinho is being hired despite the fact that Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the United’s patriarchs had such misgivings about him. But all that has gone out of the window now, because Manchester United need to win again, by any means feasible, even if that encompasses a deal with the devil.

Maybe Giggs will come back one day, as Woodward pointed out that ‘he will be always welcome’ but at this point, United need to get back on track and they are not willing to be patient about getting back to the top. This flies in the face of everything Ferguson and co stood for, but that’s modern football for you.

Manchester United is dead, long live the new Manchester United.