Manchester United announced on Monday afternoon that they had parted ways with manager Louis Van Gaal. The Dutchman’s difficult two year spell came an end a year before his contract was up, and appeared to come as a surprise to the 62-year old tactician.
The former Netherlands coach guided his United side to their first piece of silverware over the weekend, with a 2-1 win over a valiant Crystal Palace side in the FA Cup final. It was the club’s first trophy since the great Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement more than three years ago. But the success in the cup was not enough to save Van Gaal from the chop.
Though he ended on a high, a disappointing 5th placed league finish ensured the Old Trafford outfit missed out on Champions League football next season. A huge blow for a club of this stature. A lack of consistency in both performance and results as well as ‘boring’ football earned Van Gaal widespread criticism from fans and industry personalities alike, eventually spelling the end of his reign.
The man chosen to succeed LVG is former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, who has been frequently linked to the Old Trafford post. Mourinho unceremoniously left Chelsea midway through the season having seemingly lost the respect of his players in a disappointing start to the campaign, and hasn’t returned to action since, though he’s been one of the most sought-after manager in world football.
Mourinho is as well known around the world for his managerial success across the continent as he is for his polarizing personality, which has seen him in the Media spotlight on many occasions, sometimes for the wrong reasons. There has been no secret of his desire to manage the club with Sky Sports claiming that the club will name the former Porto, Inter and Real Madrid coach as Manchester United’s new manager in the coming days.
We are expected to see Mourinho unveiled shortly, with reports claiming that assistant manager Ryan Giggs will end his association with United after nearly 30 years. Additionally, Mourinho will be provided with huge funds to build his squad with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and James Rodriguez tipped to join the 20 time English champions.
Mourinho’s appointment would divide United fans as he is a highly successful manager who appears to lose interest when the going gets tough. The question is, do you think he’d be a good fit for the club and can he return United to their glory days?