Louis van Gaal has been sacked as the manager of Manchester United, if reports from the English media are to be believed.
This development comes just a couple of days after the Dutchman helped the Red Devils win their first trophy after the Sir Alex Ferguson era, as they lifted the FA Cup at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Van Gaal, who has been in charge of the club for two seasons now, received a lot of criticism from the fans, and his failure to help Manchester United qualify for Champions League football next season are said to be the main reasons why the Dutchman got sacked by the club, according to the BBC. An official confirmation however, is yet to be given.
The Dutchman’s coaching staff have also been sacked, according to a report in Eurosport. Assistant Albert Stuivenberg, goalkeepeing coach Frans Hoek, and analyst Max Reckers have all been sacked. The sole exception to is is Van Gaal’s assistant manager Ryan Giggs. The Welshman, who is still a favourite among the United fans, is still believed to have received an offer to stay at the club.
#MUFC Understand Ryan Giggs has been made an offer to stay at Old Trafford
— Stuart Mathieson (@StuMathiesonMEN) May 23, 2016
The 64 year old’s appointment back in 2014 was seen as an improvement over former manager David Moyes, who had largely failed to impose his ideology and style of play over the squad. Ironically though, Van Gaal was seen as a manager who imposed his own footballing philosophy too much on the players.
Jose Mourinho is set to replace Van Gaal as the manager at Manchester United. The Portuguese is expected to meet club officials on Tuesday, after which an official announcement of his appointment is likely to be made.
Stats don’t lie
Although it was Van Gaal who led Manchester United back to the top four after David Moyes’s disastrous season at the club, the Dutchman is widely disliked by the club’s fans.
The Manchester United fans had even chanted “attack, attack, attack” at their players, who made the most number of backpasses in the 2015/16 Premier League season — 3,222. Also, the Red Devils finished with a negative goals tally away from home in both the seasons they played under Van Gaal.
While the Dutchman did well to win Manchester United their first trophy after the Sir Alex Ferguson era, more was expected of him from the Old Trafford faithful.