Fired By Manchester United: Louis Van Gaal Gets The Boot, Jose Mourinho To Succeed Him, But Where Will Giggs Go?
Manchester United fired manager Louis Van Gaal yesterday, two years into the former Netherlands coach’s three-year-plan.
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is poised to be named as his replacement and should be confirmed in the position shortly, with fans eagerly awaiting news on which players Mourinho will sign with him.
Mourinho has been rumored to be next in line since earlier this year, as The Inquisitr reported, which came as a disappointment for Ryan Giggs, who had been assistant to Van Gaal since he took the job in 2014.
Van Gaal, 64, released a statement shortly after his former club’s decision was made public in which he thanked his players and the team, as well as Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton, who were instrumental in his being hired in the first place.
“I am very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan,” the statement read.
“I believe that the foundations are firmly in place to enable the club to move forward and achieve even greater success.”
The former Netherlands boss, 64, should receive around $US 14 million in pay-offs and bonuses from winning the FA Cup.
Man Utd get £4million from bonus from adidas for winning FA Cup – easy come, easy go… https://t.co/PiDdA3ShYo
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) May 23, 2016
Van Gaal will leave #mufc with a pay-off of £4,554,000, plus a £400,000 bonus for winning the FA Cup. Every cloud etc…
— Matt Hughes (@MattHughesTimes) May 23, 2016
What’s Next for Man U?
Manchester United may have just won the FA Cup, but Van Gaal was far from being his club’s favorite in recent times, and his sacking comes as little surprise. Just how did it get this bad?
LVG’s popularity started at an all-time high when the manager was brought in right after the World Cup in 2014 by Six Alex Ferguson to replace tragic David Moyes, as the Guardian reported.
But Van Gaal’s tenure has been described as “bland” by commentators, and his tactics have been said to be highly unpopular, with many players close to mutiny, which as France’s Raymond Domenech experienced in 2010, is nothing short of humiliating, as Goal reported.
Van Gaal’s rigid system and tactics may have been seen as quirky to start off with, but as the seasons wore on, they translated into bad football which did little more than damage the team’s form and morale.
Many players were closed to leaving, including goalkeeper David de Gea, whose departure would have been disastrous for the team.
Ryan Giggs, who was named assistant manager by Van Gaal, managed to keep his mouth shut about the boss’ tactics, but it is believed he falls in line with long-time friends Scholes and Neville’s opinions.
Man U’s league goals this season fell to 49, their most unproductive score since the 1989-90 season – and 26 less than their previous average of 76.4.
Pundits are already guessing which players Mourinho could be bringing to Man U, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic an easy target, as the Swede has already announced his departure from Paris-Saint-Germain this summer, as Newsbeat reports.
Where Will Giggs Go?
Ryan Giggs has spent more than thirty years with the club and has already been overlooked for the top job twice.
Word is going around the staff at OT that Ryan Giggs has also left #mufc. No confirmation.
— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) May 23, 2016
The Manchester United legend, who’s appeared with the team 963 times – the record – and joined the academy at 14, has done two seasons as Van Gaal’s assistant.
However, it’s believed Mourinho will not keep him as assistant and could bring loyal Rui Faria along with him.
So what will Giggs do? The former Man U player acted as interim manager at the end of the 2013-2014 after Moyes was sacked and before Van Gaal arrived, and it was expected he would succeed the Dutchman after assisting him for two years.
[Photo via AP/Jon Super]
