Ryan Giggs admits he broke down in tears at end of short spell as Manchester United manager
The Welshman said he had trouble sleeping during his brief spell in charge at Old Trafford
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ryan Giggs has revealed that he broke down in tears after completing his four-match stint as Manchester United's caretaker manager.
Giggs replaced David Moyes after the Scot was sacked in April and oversaw two wins, a draw and a defeat during the course of his brief tenure. The final game of the season was a 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton, after which the United squad flew back to Manchester.
"We got off the plane at Manchester airport. I was saying goodbye to the players, thanking them, potentially saying goodbye to a lot of players for the last time," said Giggs.
"I'm not a really emotional person but my car was parked right outside and I thought, 'I need to get in my car here.' I could feel myself getting emotional. So I got in my car and I just went, started crying, started getting really emotional. I think it was just a mixture of saying goodbye to people for maybe the last time and the pressure that I put myself under. Sounds stupid now, but it's just not me, it's just not me at all."
Giggs was talking as part of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, Life of Ryan: Caretaker Manager, about his time in charge at Old Trafford to be shown on ITV tonight.
It shows a visibly tiring Giggs struggling to deal with the all-consuming nature of the manager's job. He confesses to not sleeping and constantly pondering how he should fill the substitutes' bench in order to change the course of a game in the best way. It also shows his team talk ahead of the Southampton game where he exhorts his players to end a season where "fucking City or Liverpool win the league" on a high.
"It's been a whirlwind and I wouldn't change it for the world," he said of his first taste of management. "It was just a brilliant experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. I will be all the better for the next time it happens."
After the home defeat by Sunderland on 3 May he describes feeling "angrier and angrier" over his players' performances and wonders if he had been "too soft". "I felt really, really down after Sunderland," he said. "As a manager you feel defeats a lot worse."
Giggs will return to Old Trafford next season as an assistant to the new manager, Louis van Gaal, a move he sees as an "exciting new beginning".
"I met Louis and the meeting went really well," said the 40-year-old. "I liked him instantly and I'm looking forward to working with him and learning from him."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments