The Iron Tulip may have left Old Trafford with his head hanging low, but could be set to reignite his managerial career, albeit in France
Louis van Gaal’s two-year tenure as Manchester United manager came to a tragic end. The Dutchman was sacked just hours after winning his first, and as it turned out, only trophy with the Red Devils.
The solitary FA Cup triumph of the 2015-16 season wasn’t enough to save Van Gaal as he was replaced by his former protege, Jose Mourinho. The 65-year-old manager has gone somewhat under the radar since then, but could be set to return to the European football scene with a bang.
French Television channel Telefoot are reporting that Van Gaal is the front-runner to take over at struggling Ligue 1 champions PSG. The other two contenders are former Inter manager Roberto Mancini and former England national manager Fabio Capello.
It is believed that Van Gaal is a very strong candidate in the eyes of current PSG director of football Patrick Kluivert, who was the Iron Tulip’s assistant manager when he was head coach of the Netherlands national team.
Info @telefoot_TF1 : Patrick Kluivert a donné le nom de Van Gaal à la direction du PSG si départ d’ Emery. Pas de contact pour l’instant.
— Julien Maynard (@JulienMaynard) December 18, 2016
[INFO TELEFOOT]
Le PSG songe à Van Gaal, Capello ou Mancini pour remplacer Emery. #telefoot pic.twitter.com/8QxCo2QowU— Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) December 18, 2016
The French champions seem to have been seriously crippled by this past summer of change. They lost two key players in striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and central defender David Luiz, who moved to Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.
Manager Laurent Blanc was sacked because of the lack of success in European competition, with Sevilla manager Unai Emery taking up the role amidst much expectation. However, the Parisians are struggling this season.
They are currently third on the Ligue 1 table behind OGC Nice and AS Monaco after tasting defeat against fifth placed Guingamp this past weekend. If this trend continues then Emery’s days in Paris may be numbered, and van Gaal could well be the one to relieve him of his duties.
Louis van Gaal is known to be a disciplinarian and it may just be what the stars at Parc des Princes need to excel, both domestically and in European competitions.
