What the Class of 92 did next

With Paul Scholes seemingly poised to take his first job as a manager at Oldham Athletic, the paths taken by the so called 'Class of 92' since their playing days ended have been as interesting as they have been varied.

As players, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary and Phil Neville, played thousands of club games between them, represented their countries with distinction and won an incredible amount of trophies.

They remain tied together now, not only by their shared experiences as team-mates, but with their involvement in the rise through the leagues of Salford City, where they have transformed a non league football club into a professional outfit on the verge of becoming a Football League club after three successive promotions.

With millions of pounds in the bank from their lucrative playing days, they could have quite easily taken up comfortable positions in the television studio and relaxed for the rest of their days.

But they haven't. The drive that saw them become some of the best footballers in the country, and arguably the world has seen them take on a number of different projects, but one thing that has remained clear is their shared love of the game that made them, with all of them remaining in the game in some capacity or other.

What has been most encouraging to see is their willingness to take risks; none of them have followed a conventional path after retirement, whether that be a move into punditry, the women's game, dropping down the leagues or going abroad into club management or ownership.

In this article we look at what they have achieved since their playing days ended and what the future might have in store for them.

Ryan Giggs

The most successful of the group during his playing days, winning a remarkable 34 trophies during his career with Manchester United, it always felt like Giggs was the most likely of the group to go on to become a manager.

This transition started with his appointment to a coaching role during David Moyes' ill-fated spell in charge of the club. When Moyes was eventually dismissed following a dismal period at the club it was Giggs that United turned to as caretaker manager for the final four games of that season, winning two, drawing one and losing one of his games in control of the side.

He followed that with two years as assistant coach during Louis Van Gaal's tenure before leaving to strike out on his own following the appointment of Jose Mourinho.

Giggs was given his first full-time managerial role when he was appointed as manager of Wales in 2018, replacing Chris Coleman.

With a focus on bringing through the next generation of players, Giggs and his team experienced some mixed results, thrashing China 6-0 in his first game in charge, and beating Republic of Ireland home and way in the UEFA Nation's League.

There was a 0-0 draw away in Mexico but there were also five defeats losing to Denmark (twice), Spain, Uruguay and most disappointingly Albania.

They begin 2019 with a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago before qualification for Euro 2020 starts, which is where Giggs will ultimately be judged.

Gary Neville

Known for his whole-hearted commitment and dedication as a player, the older Neville brother has taken that approach to his life post retirement.

While he has an equal stake with his fellow Class of 92 members in Salford City, he has been the true driving force behind the transformation of the club that has seen them win three successive promotions, putting them on the brink of becoming a Football League club for the first time.

However his coaching career hasn't been as successful as he would have hoped. He was part of Roy Hodgson's coaching staff during his time as England manager, and though they reached the quarter finals of Euro 2012, they flopped spectacularly at both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

He also had a short spell in charge of Valencia after being appointed by Peter Lim, who owns the majority stake in Salford City. However he lasted only four months, winning just 10 of his 28 games in charge, and was sacked with Valencia just six points clear of the relegation zone and having failed to keep a clean sheet during his time as manager.

The biggest success story of his post-playing days has been his work as a pundit at Sky Sports, and he is now regarded as one of the best in the business.

Phil Neville

Like his brother Gary, Phil has done extensive media work as well as being heavily involved with Salford City.

However, since retiring from the game, he has pursued a career in coaching to varying degrees of success.

After retirement, he was interviewed for the Everton job after Moyes moved to Old Trafford, but he missed out to Roberto Martinez. Neville then followed Moyes to Manchester United as first team coach and stayed until the end of the season, helping out Ryan Giggs until the end of that season.

He then spent a season working as an assistant coach at Valencia before returning to England following the sacking of brother Gary.

In January 2018 he was appointed the manager of England Women's football team and he enjoyed a great start to life in the job winning five of his first eight games in charge, securing qualification for the 2019 World Cup in France, and losing only once.

Nicky Butt

After retiring following a short period playing in Hong Kong, Butt has pursued his coaching career exclusively at the club where he made his name as a player, Manchester United.

He has held various roles at the club and was part of Ryan Giggs' coaching staff when he was briefly in charge.

He now holds the job of head of academy at the club with the responsibility for bringing through the next generation of players for the first team.

For a club like Manchester United, who pride themselves on bringing through players into the first team, it is a huge responsibility for Butt to be given and one that he is aware of, with the most high profile graduate of his time in the role undoubtedly Marcus Rashford who continues to excel both at club and international level.

Paul Scholes

Scholes would be forgiven for thinking the management game was easy after getting off to a flying start with his boyhood club Oldham Athletic, winning his first game in charge against Yeovil 4-1.

It won't be as easy as that forever, something which Scholes has acknowledged as he aims to build a team that can challenge for promotion in 2019-20 but he is off to a promising start.

Prior to going into management, Scholes has played a quiet role at Salford City, while also building a reputation as a pundit who wasn't scared to say what he thinks.

Scholes reserved particular criticism for Jose Mourinho, during his time at Manchester United, often damning the style of football played by the Portuguese.

In fact, he recognised in his some of his first interviews in the job that he expected Mourinho to be playing close attention to his results as he takes his first steps into management.

David Beckham

The last of the Class of 92 to take a 10% stake in Salford City, Beckham was, and remains, the most high profile member of the group.

Beckham has shown no desire to move into coaching or management but his love for the game remains undimmed.

While he has just taken a stake in Salford, it is his role as an owner of an MLS franchise that is taking up most of his time.

A legacy of his time as a player in the league, Inter Miami, as the club will be known, are due to join the MLS in 2020.

Beckham is one of five owners of the new club and will also serve as president.

Despite securing a place in the league there is still a great deal of work to be done. The site of the new stadium is still yet to be finalised, while the significant job of appointing a manager and getting together a squad of players is still to be completed.

However with the Beckham brand more powerful than ever, few would bet against his latest venture being a success.

Edited by Ben Roberts