It is rare to see a coach whose appointment was met with so much fanfare and at the same time whose sack is again met with even much fanfare.
That is precisely the story of Dutch man Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal during his reign in
Manchester United. While it was generally accepted that Scot man David Moyes failed during his time at United, unable to defend the Premier League title which had been won by Sir Alex Ferguson, Van Gaal arrived with a big tag having conquered the likes of Spain, Brazil and Costa Rica to finish 3rd in the FIFA World Cup in Brazil (2014) with an unfancied Netherlands. Moyes would finish 7th in the 2013/2014 season and was even sacked before the season end and Van Gaal taking over supported with funds to conquer Europe and return United to it's glory days under Ferguson.
Van Gaal's reign was known to be arrogant, authoritarian and complicated which incensed his players so much to the extent the likes of Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick had to speak to him to relax certain rules. United under Van Gaal finished 4th in his debut season and 5th this season, exiting the Champions League group stage in group that had light weights like PSV, Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow. United would later again be eliminated in the Second Round of the Europa League by Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool .
Under Van Gaal, United spent a sum total £258.7 million on transfers in two seasons with little or no success except the FA Cup to show for it. While his flop signings include Memphis Deepay -£25 million (rarely played), Angel Di Maria- £59 million (sold to PSG for £49 million after his failed season) , Ander Herrera -£29 million (rarely plays , always benced) Luke Shaw -£27 million ( currently injured) and Morgan Schneiderlin -£25 million ( rarely played). Also, Van Gaal's only successful signings are Daley Blind £12 million and Anthony Martial £38 million .
While the flaws of Van Gaal are too numerous to be counted, it is worthy of note that he so much believed in the youth and reserve players at the club to the extent that he changed the mentality at the club back to the old days of trusting the academy players. The likes of Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Marcus Rashford, Blackett were all given their chances. This has made the club realise the potential that might have been wasting at the club. While the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City fans cry foul over the inability of their managers to give their academy players a chance , that wasn't the case with Van Gaal at United. To buttress further , John Terry still remains the only first team player who graduated from Chelsea's Academy before the introduction of Reuben Loftus-Cheek this season.
Van Gaal also ended his season on a high and won the FA Cup, a trophy Manchester United have not won in 12 years. This is no simple feat as United clearly demonstrated they were the best team in the tournament clearly beating the likes of West Ham and Everton on the way to the final.
The Dutch man's team though weren't consistent but recorded massive wins over big teams like Manchester City, Arsenal and Everton last season. Van Gaal also gave United the calming presence they so much craved after the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson and his global brand and name helped restore the pride of the club.
It is therefore unfair to solely consider his time at United a failure as the Dutch man recorded so many feats along will some unforgivable flaws.
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