Mellon: Giggs has all the attributes to be a manager

Ryan Giggs undoubtedly has the steely determination to be a manager and possesses a very clear idea of the way he wants the game played, according to the next boss looking to beat Manchester United.

Micky Mellon, the Shrewsbury Town manager, studied for his coaching badges alongside Giggs and rejects the idea that United assistant lacks the force of personality to take the top job.

Louis van Gaal’s position in charge looks close to untenable after the humiliating Europa League defeat to FC Midtjylland, and Mellon hopes his League One team can add to the United nightmare in Sunday night’s FA Cup tie.

Having worked closely with Giggs at St George’s Park, Mellon is convinced the Welshman has the mentality to become a No1. He does though reserve full judgement until Giggs makes that step.

‘I think until you are out there and doing it, you won’t really know if you’ve got the qualities that are needed to manage at whatever level you are looking to get into,’ said Mellon.

‘But certainly Ryan was very, very clear on the way that he wanted the game of football played.

‘I don’t buy into the idea that he is not forceful enough. I think he’s very steely minded, very clear about how he wants the game played. He has a good presence about him.

‘But I don’t believe you’ll know if anybody’s going to be a manager until they’re in that technical area, they get beat and certain things get thrown at them, how they deal with it - that’s when you’ll know.’

Giggs was caretaker manager at United for the final four games of the 2013-14 season, after David Moyes was sacked, winning two, drawing one, losing one.

He stayed on as assistant when Van Gaal was appointed that summer but appears to be at a crossroads in his career - a candidate to replace the Dutchman, certainly temporarily, but also at risk of being overlooked for Jose Mourinho.

Mellon, who won promotion with Shrewsbury last season, insisted Giggs could only show his ability when given the chance.

‘I think you won’t know what his qualities are until he’s in it,’ said Mellon. ‘You can’t role play or read it out of books, it will be up to the individual and what he does when that is flung at him.

‘I believe it is an easier job to do when your team is winning, because you won’ t get an awful lot flung at you.

‘But I absolutely do not believe that you will know if anybody’s a manager until they’re right in the middle of it: the Press all over him after a defeat and he’s got to go and pick his team up on Monday, or there is a certain decision that he’s made that has not gone his way. How is he going to react to that?

‘These are all the things that I think you find out when you’re on the job and you learn about yourself while doing it.

‘I was very fortunate that I went in at Fleetwood and we won, and when you’re winning and winning and winning you’re not doing an awful lot of managing.

‘It wasn’t really until I went in at Barnsley and we were winning and losing and you were having to deal with things like picking teams, and really work hard at the tactical and mentality side, that I felt I was starting to manage.

‘And then when I came to Shrewsbury I brought the experiences forward.’

It is those experiences that prompt Mellon to express ‘massive’ sympathy for the pressure Van Gaal finds himself under.

‘When you’re a manager you understand that at certain times you’re on your own.

‘There are decisions that have got to be made and you will be held accountable for that. And that’s me at Fleetwood and Barnsley and Shrewsbury.

‘At Manchester United, if Louis van Gaal blinks the world is looking at it and thinking: “Was that a proper blink or a twitch?”

‘Every single thing he does is gone through with a fine-tooth comb. But he will know that goes with the territory, you don’t take the Man U job if you don’t believe that is going to happen.’

Mellon added: ‘Look at his CV, man. Jesus. It’s ridiculous. Wow. If a lot of managers can do a 1,000th of what he’s done, you’ll have had a great career.

‘What he’s doing now is probably using his experiences of what’s happened to him before and getting on with the job.’