Paul Scholes has become the latest high profile former England player to step into the cut throat world of football management, and his ex teammate and friend Ryan Giggs believes he, like others, deserve the chance.
Scholes has joined fellow former Premier League stars Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Sol Campbell in chosing this season to dive head first into the management pool this, although he took a longer break between retiring from playing and managing than his ex England teammates.
Like Campbell, Scholes has began his career as a gaffa in Sky Bet League Two with his boyhood club Oldham, as he cuts this teeth at the sharp end of the business.
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard is guiding Rangers to a Scottish Premiership title push, while Chelsea legend Lampard is pushing Derby for promotion out of the Sky Bet Championship at the first time of asking.
Added to that, Scholes' former Old Trafford teammates Giggs, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Phil Neville have gone in at higher levels, with Wales, Manchester United and the England Women' team respectively.
Giggs believes this is a sign that young up-and-coming managers don't have to start at the bottom to prove themselves anymore and deserve the chance to show what they can do at the highest level possible.
Oldham 2018/19 Season Sky Bet Odds
Promoted - 11/1
To make the play-offs - 7/2
To win the play-offs - 14/1
To finish outside the top seven - 2/7
Top half finish - 2/7
Giggs told Sporting Life: "We’ve seen Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard going in at a higher level to Scholesly and with Ole [Gunnar Solskjær] at United.
"They've had early success in their jobs and I think that shows that these days you don’t necessarily have to have that grounding in the lower leagues before stepping up to the big jobs.
"I don’t really think it matters these days. These guys have the experience, have the training and have been coached by some of the best managers in the world. They've had the best learning experiences possible and that can really benefit them as they become managers themselves."
Starting higher brings a brighter spotlight, higher expectations, increased pressure and a potentially shorter management life expectancy for the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Giggs, while it would be fair to say less is expected of Sol Campbell due to the limitations he inherited at troubled Macclesfield.
Scholes has Giggs' assistant coach when he told interim charge of Manchetser United back in 2014 and the former Wales winger doesn't feel Scholes is hiding in the lower leagues, and the pressure will be just as intense at Oldham.
The important element is understanding the different needs and skills required depending on the level you enter at.
"Oldham aren't under pressure to win things themselves, so aren't under pressure in that way. That is different with Derby and Rangers, where success is needed and expected, so there is more pressure in that way. But Scholesly will put himself under huge pressure to get it right at Oldham and his name and connect with the club brings even more pressure. So that is the same as Gerrard and Lampard.
"But there are different pressures and different things to deal with the higher up the leagues you go – Lawrie McMenemy [former Sunderland and Southampton manger and England assistant] once told me the lower you go in the league the more you have to coach, the higher up you go the more you have to manage.
"It depends what you want to do and under what circumstances you want to work in. The lower you go the more you’re on the training pitch coaching your players.
"Whereas the higher you go you have the resources so you can delegate, like Sir Alex did at times, and let your coaches do the coaching to get your message across and you can handle all the other things that come with being in charge of a big side like Rangers, like Derby and even with myself at Wales.
Scholes was a winner and tremendous competitor in his playing days, and having seen that first hand in the same title winning team, Giggs knows those qualities will drive his success as a manager.
"Like all young coaches in your first job you need the breaks, you need a bit of luck with injuries and decisions.
"You need everything to go your way but with Scholesy having played at the very top you know he’ll be preparing in the right way and the one thing I can say is that he’ll want to play attractive football.
"He’ll want to get up that league though and try and get promoted, knowing him like I do that will be his aim straight away."