By Peter Glynn
Paul Ince has tipped Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville to follow the in the Old Trafford tradition and make the transition from player to manager.
Ince is one in a long line of former United players to do so and the former MK Dons, Blackburn Rovers and Notts County manager believes there is more potential managerial talent at Old Trafford.
“We’ve now got a lot of players who played for Man United who have gone on to be managers: myself, Steve Bruce, Roy Keane, Mark Hughes, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, that have all done relatively well. And now you have the next generation of Giggs and Neville,” explained Ince at last week’s UEFA Pro Licence course.
Ince, Neville and Giggs are all candidates on the prestigious coaching course which was held for the first time at St.George’s Park last week.
And the former England captain believes those who have played the game at the very top level still have much to offer when their playing days are over.
“People like Giggsy and Neville have so much experience and so much knowledge of the game it’s sad if they just finish football and go out of it. It’s great to see people like this on the course and it’s great for the group,” explained Ince.
When discussing the link between playing at Old Trafford and a progression into management, a reoccurring theme appears: namely, Sir Alex Ferguson. Ince believes the Scot is unsurpassed in the industry.
“When you’ve worked with the best, and the best is Sir Alex Ferguson, it seems a natural process to go into management,” he explained.
“His man-management was absolutely second to none. Some clubs have different standards to other clubs – but his standards were up there and you had to stick by them. The way he treats every player is the same, [whether] it’s a youth team or a [Eric] Cantona or [Bryan] Robson.
Ince added: “When you look at the code of conduct at Manchester United, everything is spot on. The environment that he creates in that club just oozes professionalism and it is oozes success, desire and a will to win things and he’s brought that to the club.”
To hear Ince’s thoughts on the Pro Licence course click here
Read Ryan Giggs hopes for a career in coaching and management here
