Having enjoyed a long and distinguished playing career at Manchester United, it seemed almost inevitable that Ryan Giggs would one day take his seat in the Old Trafford dugout and continue his leadership qualities from the sidelines.
However, not even the Welshman himself would have expected to take charge of the Red Devils while still picking up his pay packet as a player, which was the case in April 2014 when Giggs was placed in control following the dismissal of David Moyes.
It was always likely to be a temporary solution, a gateway for a new man to take over in the summer and rebuild following on from what had been a disastrous campaign, and so it proved with the veteran midfielder eventually taking a more back-seat role upon hanging up his boots for good last summer to join Louis van Gaal's coaching staff.
© Getty Images
Giggs certainly did not hide the fact that he wanted to land the job on a full-time basis, though, and things got off to a dream start for him on this day 12 months ago when Norwich City arrived at the Theatre of Dreams to kick off a new era at United.
Despite officially being a player-boss, Giggs opted to sport a suit-and-tie combo on the touchline for his big managerial debut. He was also quick to put his own spin on things, dropping big-money signing Juan Mata to the bench, with Marouane Fellaini, another Moyes addition, was omitted from the squad altogether.
Things almost got off to a stuttering start when Jonny Howson put the ball into the back of the United net, only for the strike to be ruled out due to a shove in the build-up. The breakthrough arrived for the Premier League giants shortly before the interval when Wayne Rooney tucked away from the penalty spot after Danny Welbeck had been felled inside the box.
Rooney was on hand to double his personal tally for the evening just two minutes after the restart with a well-taken shot from distance, while Mata was brought on from the bench to add a third just moments after being introduced.
© Getty Images
The Spaniard bounced back from his disappointment of being left out by nodding home another to round off the scoring in front of a far happier Old Trafford crowd compared to the one just a few weeks prior, when Manchester City stormed to a 3-0 victory at the famous ground.
Questions immediately turned to whether Giggs would be the man to turn around United's faltering fortunes on a permanent basis. "The only thing I am thinking about is Sunderland next week," the now 41-year-old told reporters. "Honestly, that's it. I am not looking any further than that."
Reserve goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard certainly felt that the club legend was the right man to take United forward, telling BBC Sport: "It might sound pretty rash and naive, but, in my opinion, we are dealing with a new [Pep] Guardiola. What we have seen in the first week has been more than convincing.
"The similarities with Sir Alex Ferguson are striking and it is evident that Ryan Giggs has learned from one of history's most respected football managers."
© Getty Images
High praise indeed. Yet it was not all plain sailing during Giggs's four games at the helm, with that comfortable win against Norwich being followed up by a home defeat against strugglers Sunderland, a James Wilson-inspired win over Hull City and a last-day draw at Southampton.
What it did offer Giggs and United, however, was a crash-course in what to expect in the coming years. Van Gaal is widely expected to call time on his own illustrious career at the end of his current contract at United, which may be the perfect time for the former Wales international to step up.
Red Devils supporters will no doubt have seen enough during that meeting with Norwich in particular to offer plenty of encouragement when the man who has served the club so well over the past quarter of a century is handed the job for good. Before then, there is still plenty of learning for Giggs to learn under Van Gaal's leadership.
Manchester United: De Gea; Jones, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Kagawa; Welbeck, Rooney
Norwich City: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Turner, Olsson; Johnson; Fer, Howson; Snodgrass, Redmond; Van Wolfswinkel
No Data Analysis info
