Manchester United manager José Mourinho is reportedly prepared to let Ryan Giggs leave Old Trafford because he fears the Welshman is a threat to his job security.

Giggs has enjoyed an 28-year association with the 20-times champions of England, winning 13 Premier League titles as a player, before working as an assistant to both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal in recent seasons.

Mourinho famously demands unconditional support from his backroom team and, according to The Times, is uneasy about the prospect of keeping a man within his entourage who has been open about his ambitions to one day manage United.

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The 42-year-old former winger has been on holiday in Dubai as he considers an offer from Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, which is believed to involve a slip down the hierarchical chain in the North West.

Rui Faria is expected to join Mourinho at Old Trafford as they strive to restore United among the elite of European football, adding further fuel to the theory of thought which suggests Giggs’s time is up at United.

The report adds that the Welshman’s close friendship with Paul Scholes, who was highly critical of both the Moyes and Van Gaal tenures, is another source of anxiety for Mourinho while the former Chelsea manager also feels Giggs failed to support the pair when the going got tough.

Meanwhile, Mourinho’s first match as manager will see him make a long trip down to the south coast to pay Bournemouth. The Portuguese coach’s first competitive game at Old Trafford will be against Southampton on 20 August, before another away trip to Hull City’s KC Stadium.