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Ryan Giggs skips the beach to stay on course for career in management

RYAN Giggs will take another significant step this week towards a career in coaching or management.

Britain OLY SOC Britain Mens Squad
Britain OLY SOC Britain Mens Squad

RYAN Giggs will take another significant step this week towards a career in coaching or management.

While many of his Manchester United team-mates are relaxing on holiday, Giggs will brave the unrest in Istanbul. The 39-year-old will travel to Turkey on Thursday for an intensive eight-day assignment at the Under-20 World Cup as he attempts to secure a UEFA Pro Licence coaching badge.

If he passes his latest test, Giggs may become the first active British footballer to complete the mandatory qualifications for Europe's top-level coaches.

Giggs will form part of a 19-strong group that also includes Gary Neville and Paul Ince, two former United team-mates. They will be based in Istanbul, but, as well as taking in matches at the Turk Telekom Arena, home of Galatasaray, they will attend games in Bursa. They are expected to watch up to ten matches, from which they will be asked to undertake a series of tasks and complete a case study that each individual has been working on.

The visit comes at a time of acute political turmoil in Istanbul, but FIFA, the world governing body, has insisted that the tournament will go ahead, despite anti-government demonstrations that prompted Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, to denounce protesters as "terrorists" over the weekend.

Stringent security measures are in place for the three-week tournament, which starts on Friday when France play Ghana in Istanbul - a game that Giggs and his cohorts may attend.

Giggs signed a one-year contract extension three and a half months ago that means he will carry on playing for United until at least the end of next season.

But the Welshman took on some coaching duties at Old Trafford last season and will continue to do so under David Moyes, the new United manager, to complete his Pro Licence by next summer. He is expected to take a lead role on Moyes's coaching staff and has been tipped as a potential future United manager.

Having already gained his UEFA A and B licences, Giggs is a little more than halfway through completing the elite qualification that is required by anyone who wants to coach in a top division in Europe or in the Champions League.

The course covers issues across almost 20 modules, such as handling of players, specialist and match-related training methods, fixture analysis, contracts and agents, media and technology, and business management.

For players or coaches already at clubs, the course is tailored to fit in with their day-to-day duties, while the modules are designed to complement the challenges they face.

Giggs has spent time at Warwick University's Business School doing workshops and practical tasks, although if successful, the work done in Turkey would represent a significant hurdle crossed. "If I decide to finish next season, I want to be in the best position to go into coaching," Giggs said last month.

The Times 

Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/the-times-sport/giggs-skips-the-beach-to-stay-on-course-for-career-in-management/news-story/3ac544fab5c4534aefb9050741a123b3