Jose Mourinho has insisted Ryan Giggs’ Old Trafford departure ‘was not his responsibility’ but has wished the Manchester United legend well as he bids to begin his own management career.
Giggs left Old Trafford after 29 years on Saturday to pursue his own career as a manager, despite the club wanting him to stay, with Mourinho bringing in his long-time assistant Rui Faria as his No 2.
During his introductory press conference at Old Trafford on Tuesday, Mourinho insisted the fact Giggs coveted the manager’s job meant it was always going to be hard for the former winger to stay at the club.
‘About Ryan, let me finish. I never run away about my responsibility,’ Mourinho said.
‘It is not my responsibility that Ryan is not in the club. The job Ryan wanted is the job the club decided to give me.
‘Ryan wanted to be Manchester United manager and the owners, Mr Woodward, decided to give the job to me.
‘Like 2000, I decide I want to be a manager. For many of us, we start as assistant coaches and for many of us, arrives the moment we make a decision.
‘So when you are speaking about did I offer him a job. He could be what he wanted in the club. The club wanted to give him any important job in the club.
‘It happened with myself in Barcelona in 2000, I had a contract for another two years. It was not easy to go to another fight.
‘For Ryan it is not easy to go the step from assistant to manager, it is the step to leave his house of 29.
‘He was brave, he is honest, so good luck so if one day he wants to come back when I am here, I will never say no and if one day the club offers him the chance to be manager, I think it will something natural and the consequence of his success in his career.’
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