Manchester United news: Ryan Giggs linked with Nottingham Forest job, but conflicting reports emerge

Giggs has been linked with the vacancy at the City Ground as he prepares to leave United

Ryan Giggs has been linked with the vacant Nottingham Forest job (Getty)

Conflicting reports have emerged surrounding Ryan Giggs and his future with Manchester United, with the former midfielder edging towards an Old Trafford departure after the arrival of new manager Jose Mourinho.

It is widely expected that Giggs will end his 29-year association with United after missing out on the manager’s job for the second time in succession, having witnessed Louis van Gaal beat him to the role in 2014 before Mourinho’s appointment this summer.

Giggs was offered the chance to stay at United in a different role to the one he has filled for the past two years, having worked as Van Gaal’s assistant throughout the Dutchman’s tenure, but the former Wales international has declined the offer given that it would represent a demotion in his coaching career.

According to The Mirror, Giggs is one of the leading candidates to take the vacant Nottingham Forest job, with the Championship club looking to appoint a permanent replacement for Dougie Freedman after he was sacked in March.

Giggs it ready to step into management and follow his former United team-mate Gary Neville in taking on his first managerial role, although whether that will be with Forest remains uncertain. Despite the reports linking the 42-year-old with the job at the City Ground, the Nottingham Post claims that the Welshman is not on the list of targets for Evangelos Marinakis and Fawaz Al Hasawi – who are currently in talks about the ownership of the club – and that a foreign manager will be hired instead.

United aren’t expecting to face a serious backlash regarding allowing Giggs to leave, given that the current assistant manager is determined to make his own name as a manager despite missing out on the United job. However, with a lack of obvious chances to take his first steps into management due to the few jobs available, Giggs could choose to wait on making a decision rather than pursue the Forest job.