As one of their best-ever players, Ryan Giggs still evidently has Manchester United at heart.
The Wales manager, a former team-mate of current manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was speaking in the wake of the Red Devils’ defeat at home to Crystal Palace.
Though there are mitigating circumstances, in that United’s late finish to the 2019/20 campaign could be to blame for their lethargy, a first opening day loss in six seasons won’t have been the way that the Norwegian will have wanted the 2020/21 season to begin.
Giggs, however, believes it could be a blessing in disguise, perhaps speeding up deals for certain potential signings.
“Yeah maybe, I think the fans will want that,” he said on Premier League Productions, cited by the Daily Express.
“The fans won’t be happy now because even before, if they had got a positive result, they still want to see new faces through the door and also a few going out as well.
“So there’s a lot to think of for Ole and the board.”
With just one game played, the team can’t possibly be judged on how well they’ll do across the campaign, although clearly the narrative needs to be kept positive.
If the club lose out on their intended signings for example, Solskjaer will know he faces an uphill battle, but there’s little point in bleating to the press about it.
His first-team players will simply have to step up a level or two.