Class of 92 faces end of term with Van Gaal as head

WHEN Old Trafford gave Ryan Giggs a standing ovation last Saturday, the crowd cannot have imagined that he would be considering his future days later.

Manchester United's caretaker manager Ryan Giggs and coaching staff members Phil Neville

WHEN Old Trafford gave Ryan Giggs a standing ovation last Saturday, a spine-tingling welcome for him in his first match as manager of Manchester United, the crowd cannot have imagined that he would be considering his future less than a week later.

Yet Giggs is so uncertain about his place in the new regime under Louis van Gaal that he may have to be talked out of walking away or, at 40, perhaps devoting next season to a last one purely as a player.

Such is the uncertainty around Old Trafford, not just for Giggs but also for the rest of the remaining Class of '92 — Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville — who sat with him on the bench against Norwich City in a striking image of a club reborn.

The imminent arrival of Van Gaal threatens fresh upheaval. Senior United sources have said that they would not recruit a coach of the Dutchman's standing and antagonise him by imposing staff, yet Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, also knows how foolish it would be to lose Giggs and the rest of the backroom team given their long associations with Old Trafford and their promise as coaches.

Van Gaal is due to be confirmed as the successor to David Moyes by the middle of next week, but Woodward faces a nightmare task trying to keep everyone happy given that the Dutchman, while expressing a willingness to work with Giggs and others, also wants to bring his own staff.

Giggs is in charge until the end of the season and, while he is willing to accept that the permanent job should go to someone with experience, he does not want to feel a spare part in the coaching regime as he did under Moyes.

While Giggs thanked the Scot last week for giving him a chance on the training ground, he is known to have harboured serious doubts about how Sir Alex Ferguson's successor went about the job and had removed himself from most of the decision-making. He does not want a repeat under Van Gaal. The Dutchman says he is happy to work with the United old boys, but whether he can give them meaningful roles is another question.

Patrick Kluivert, an assistant with Holland, is expected to come with Van Gaal and he is also used to working with Danny Blind, a former Dutch international who has been a coach at Ajax and with the national team.

After tasting management, it has left Giggs wondering whether he could accept demotion and whether he should put coaching aside and play on for another season. His playing contract runs out this summer, with talks due soon.

He has made 21 appearances this season, most recently in Champions League games against Bayern Munich and Olympiacos, but is goalless so far. He will need to pick himself in United's three remaining league games if he wants to maintain a record of scoring in 24 consecutive campaigns.

The uncertainty also affects Butt, who was coaching the United reserves but has been promoted for the interim period, and Scholes, who was brought in to assist Giggs. Neville survived when Moyes left, but is also in the dark.

The four coaches have made a remarkable 2,453 appearances for United and Woodward would like to have the continuity, building for the future, knowing that it will also be a PR calamity if the Class of '92 are alienated.

United are trying to resolve all this before Wednesday, when Van Gaal starts concentrating on his duties with Holland for the World Cup finals. Eager to avoid a slow summer of transfer business, Woodward wants Moyes's successor to approve new signings immediately.

It is possible that some of the old boys may stay and others depart. They do not come as a job lot, although their links run deep, including a recent film and their shared involvement in the purchase of Salford City, which includes the four coaches plus Gary Neville.

Salford are in the eighth tier of English football, playing in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League, but the group have hopes of reaching the Skrill Premier division in five to ten years and kicking on from there into the Football League.

They have all invested their own money, although not David Beckham, who is concentrating on his new MLS franchise in Miami. Their standing could attract significant financial backing if the club take off. Salford play in a 2,000-capacity ground at Moore Lane but could move to the Salford City Stadium, home of the Salford Red Devils rugby league team, which can hold 12,000 supporters.

Attracted by the grassroots project, the thrill of building something in the heart of where they all first learnt to play the game and the certainty that their experience and contacts can make things happen, the Class of '92 are serious about the Salford project but have no plans, yet, for daily roles.

They may have more time on their hands in the coming months if United cannot resolve the delicate problem of recruiting Van Gaal, and his Dutch assistants, while finding meaningful jobs for some of their most distinguished old boys.

The Times