1 Style of play

David Moyes's defensive mode was a fundamental factor in his sacking by Manchester United and there is genuine excitement at the club at Ryan Giggs's temporary instalment as his replacement.

Attacking, high-risk football courses through the Welshman, who has 23 years' playing experience to draw upon. The instant call to Paul Scholes, a creative midfielder of the highest class for the club, to assist on the training pitch illustrates there will be no concern about who United are facing: it is to be all about Giggs telling the side to go out and force themselves on the opposition, starting with Norwich City this weekend.

2 Be adaptable

"I think you've got to be natural as much as you can as a manager, find your own style, not try and be somebody else," Giggs says. "Different people have different characteristics. So you have to be adaptable and maybe not be: 'I'm going to play like this.' You evolve really."

The 40-year-old said that this month when on a pro-licence course and it will be intriguing to analyse the teams he puts out in his four matches in charge.

Moyes's management showed few signs of flexibility. The well-documented disagreements with Rio Ferdinand, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Ashley Young and Chris Smalling – to name but a few – the attritional training methods disliked by the squad and his public gaffes suggested a man unable to learn from mistakes and change on the hoof. His predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson, enjoyed 26 years of success precisely because he could, to use Giggs's word, "evolve".

3 Pick himself?

Giggs may not be the solution to the one of the Premier League's hoariest conundrums – the glaring hole in the United midfield – but he was certainly underused by Moyes. In this could be seen the Scot's sometimes baffling logic. Why start the Welshman for the campaign's biggest matches, the home outing of the Champions League last-16 against Olympiakos as United trailed 2‑0 and versus Bayern Munich in the next round's corresponding leg – but only on 12 other occasions?

Marouane Fellaini's £27.5m failure (so far, at least), Cleverley's below-par displays, Darren Fletcher's recent recovery from serious illness and Michael Carrick's weariness as the sole A-list central-midfielder, all made a case for him to be utilised more. So will he write the name of Ryan Giggs on his first team-sheet? He was asked this and refused to give a definite answer, although he did admit he "hadn't decided yet" what he will be wearing, a suit or tracksuit, making it more likely he'll be on the sidelines, at the start at least.

4 Man-management

The sight of anyone in a United shirt this term appearing at ease has been a collectors' item. From Robin van Persie – team-mates are "occupying the spaces I want" – down, barely hidden disgruntlement has been the default mood. "Play with a smile on your face" is a cliched management trope precisely because of the simple wisdom that footballers should take to the field forgetting what could be lost while striving for what can be gained. Easier said than done, of course. Yet the handling of multi-millionaires with a clutch of medals is perhaps a No1's most vital skill. Can Giggs do better here than Moyes? Put bluntly, he will struggle to do worse.

5 Harness the Old Trafford atmosphere

"We don't see ourselves as underdogs. We see ourselves as Manchester United playing at home in the Champions League." So said Giggs before the Champions League quarter-final opening leg against Bayern. In this moment a season of deferential football that has left the club embarrassingly off the pace was swept away and the real United were restored.

But the problem for fans pining for more was that Giggs delivered these words as a player. Under Moyes' management, the team continued to cause discontent with their dire home displays and record.

Three of United's last four matches are at Old Trafford. As a bona fide legend of the club, the atmosphere when Giggs sends out his XI promises to be spine-tingling.

It all starts with the visit of Norwich.