Opinion: Is this Dutchman the Right Choice for Manchester United?

Louis van Gaal has an equal number of wins compared to David Moyes after their first 50 games in charge of Manchester United that was a shocking stat that recently came out and shows that although the Dutch manager has brought them back into the Champions League, United are no better than what they were in the hands of Moyes.

This all, after Van Gaal has spent over £270 million in his two years and the team aren’t exactly playing ‘United’ brand of football, supporters though will argue that Van Gaal is bringing his stamp to the team and that Moyes couldn’t make the signings while Van Gaal has been able to attract top talent like Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger, among others. Moyes though will still feel a little hard done by the way he was treated at United. Van Gaal was brought into the club to bring back the glory days but that does not seem to be coming anytime soon, especially after yet another slow start to the league. Questions are being asked about the future of Van Gaal and if he actually is the right man for the job.

A winner in every country he has managed

Van Gaal’s cv is something that every football manager would love to have. The Dutch manager has won the Bundesliga, Eredivisie, La Liga, the Champions League and the UEFA cup, amongst others, so he does have the pedigree to win trophies at any club. He has managed Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, three of the biggest clubs in the world and that should help him out in his quest to bring Manchester United back to the top but it just has not worked for Van Gaal.

Manchester United do not play great football, they have not fixed their defensive problems and the lack of a striker has been a problem for a couple of years. Instead of investing in the squad with known players in their defence and attack, Van Gaal and his team went out and bought a youngster for £36 million. This could work out for Van Gaal as it did with Rooney but this is a long shot, certainly the club could have signed a world class forward for that money but they left it too late and signed Martial instead.

Van Gaal isn’t the quickest starter at any club and he takes some time to get the players playing to his ‘philosophy’ but the football that United play looks certainly a little lacklustre and often they do not know what to do with the ball. Their defence can’t deal with good strikers and has been found wanting this season as well.

Van Gaal might be a bit too authoritarian and strict for many players, especially in this day and age of football. This might have worked a decade ago but it isn’t working for United at the moment. What United need is someone who can get them playing some attractive football with a purpose. The temptation to splurge on a top manager is there but there aren’t many who would be willing to come to United from their lofty posts in Spain or Germany.

Klopp could be someone who could work at United but that can only happen if United sack Van Gaal and as long as he keeps them getting into the Champions League, his sacking probably won’t take place. Van Gaal is the pragmatic choice for the present but certainly not the best for United’s future.