Why is Ryan Giggs on the touchline for Salford City in their FA Cup clash at Man City?
SALFORD CITY are taking on Premier League giants Manchester City in a thrilling FA Cup third-round derby.
And you may notice a very familiar face on the touchline for the League Two Ammies.
Why is Ryan Giggs on the touchline for Salford?
Ryan Giggs is joint-owner of Salford alongside fellow Class of 92 Manchester United legends Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.
And in his role as Director of Football of the club, former Wales manager Giggs is also a regular presence on the touchline alongside Ammies’ head coach Karl Robinson.
The ex-winger hasn’t held a regular managerial position since leaving the Welsh national team in 2022.
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The 51-year-old became Wales boss in 2018, before being arrested on assault charges two years later.
He has always denied any wrongdoing, and stepped down from the role in June 2022 ahead of his trial, where a jury failed to reach a verdict.
Giggs has slowly returned to the touchline in recent months at Salford, as he eyes a return to football management.
Speaking ahead of Salford’s crunch FA Cup tie with Man City, Giggs revealed he is determined to return to management “one day”.
The United legend – regarded as the most hands-on member of the Class of 92’s ownership group – told the BBC: “I had the stint as Wales manager and loved it.
“At the moment I’m enjoying being at Salford as director of football and enjoy watching the team, happy where I am.
“But eventually I would like to get back into management.
“On matchday I still get as excited as ever, probably more so than ever.”
The BBC reported Giggs has “not applied for any management roles” since leaving his post with Wales.
Giggs first helped Robinson on the touchline after assistant Alex Bruce had to miss the game in October due to personal reasons, and he has stayed on ever since.
He explained his role in the dugout to Manchester Evening News: “Karl would have been on his own, so I decided to go on the bench. [When] Alex came back, and I just stayed in the role, really.
“I’ve enjoyed assisting Karl. I think the experience that I can pass on to the players – of course, Karl’s got miles more experience than me, manager-wise – but I’ve got experience in the game as well. So it’s working and, until Karl says differently, I’ll be in the dugout supporting him and the lads.”