Latest news with #VanGaal
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Louis van Gaal slams Man Utd transfer approach with cutting Liverpool remark
Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has slammed the Red Devils approach in the transfer market and compared it to that of Premier League rivals Liverpool with Arne Slot Louis van Gaal has made a cutting remark on Manchester United, labelling the a 'commercial club, not a football club'. The Dutch coach believes the Red Devils need too empower manager Ruben Amorim if they hope to be able to replicate the success of Liverpool under Arne Slot. Van Gaal was in the Old Trafford hot seat for two seasons from 2014 until 2016 and won the FA Cup in his second term in charge. The 73-year-old was left surprised by the team's inability to land first choice options despite its commercial wealth. United's ability in the transfer market has long been called into question with accusations of overpaying for players who have not been good enough. The 13-times Premier League champions have seen few outright wins in their incoming business with the exception of Bruno Fernandes. The likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Antony have failed to set the Theatre of Dreams alight in recent seasons, but issues stretch back further than that in the mind of Van Gaal. "They are a commercial club, not a football club," Van Gaal told Sky Sports. "I have said that before and that's always difficult. When the manager is not deciding which players have to come in, it is very difficult." "I think that it is is the way that it should be," he added. "Because then you can fire a manager because he doesn't give any results. But when other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge of the manager, the orientation of the manager, because he has to train them." And, really sticking the boot in, Van Gaal pointed to Premier League rivals Liverpool as a team United should replicate. The ex-Bayern Munich boss reckons Reds head coach has a pivotal role in Liverpool's transfer business, despite adding just one player to his squad last summer. "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager that he has to buy this player, pay attention to it," Van Gaal commented. The Dutchman has long been criticial of his former team's transfer approach. Van Gaal claimed that he did not receive the players he asked for during his time at the club, and the side's transfer business was held to ransom. " Manchester United did not have the qualities to become champions and had an outdated selection with 10 players over 30, five over 35," he told Voetbal International in 2020. "So I told them I was going to rejuvenate and which players should come. I didn't get one of those. "Then you end up in a different segment and as a coach you have to push your boundaries. You don't expect that at the richest club in the world. "A turnover of £600m and can't buy the players you need. You should buy number one and not number seven. Of course, the selling club also thinks: 'If you are so rich, you also have to pay the highest amount imaginable for a player.' That was what happened with transfers. "Then you have to do with the numbers seven or eight on your wish list. For which you actually pay way too much money, on which the coach is judged and convicted." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
‘Not a football club' – Former Man Utd boss launches scathing attack on old side while heaping praise on bitter rivals
LOUIS VAN GAAL has launched a stunning broadside on former club Manchester United. The Dutchman was in the Old Trafford hot seat between 2014 and 2016. 4 Louis van Gaal has hit out at the way Manchester United operate behind the scenes Credit: AP 4 Ruben Amorim has struggled since joining the club last November Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been criticised for cost-cutting Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Van Gaal, 73, won a solitary FA Cup during his tenure as United boss. And he's been watching their horror 2024/25 season from afar. The Red Devils finished without silverware last term, languishing 15th in the Premier League. INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe employed Ruben Amorim midway through the season to stop the rot. READ MORE ON MAN UTD TO BE FRANK Spurs to hijack Man Utd's £60m Mbeumo as Brentford identify Frank replacement But results continued to slide under the former Sporting Lisbon chief. Van Gaal told Sky Sports: "It is still a commercial club. "It is not a football club. I have said that before - and that's always difficult." The 73-year-old believes the club will never find success unless Amorim is given the chance to choose his own players. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He continued: "When [it's] not the manager deciding which player has to come, it's very difficult. "I think that is the way it should be. Bruno Fernandes reveals role his wife played in £200m Al-Hilal transfer snub even though Man Utd were ready to cash in "Because then you can fire the manager because he's not getting results. "When other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge [of the manager] because he has to train them." Van Gaal also begged United chiefs to "pay attention" to the way Premier League champions Liverpool are operating under Arne Slot. He added: "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager, you need to buy this player. "Pay attention to [that]." Van Gaal won 54 of his 103 games in charge at Old Trafford. 4 His overall win percentage with the club stands at 52.43 per cent. That figure is lower than three United managers who have followed him through the door at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag all boast higher win percentages. But current boss Amorim has the lowest of all five. The Portuguese manager has won just 16 of his 42 games in charge - a paltry win percentage of 38.10 per cent. That's the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in 1971.
The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
‘Not a football club' – Former Man Utd boss launches scathing attack on old side while heaping praise on bitter rivals
LOUIS VAN GAAL has launched a stunning broadside on former club Manchester United. The Dutchman was in the Old Trafford hot seat between 2014 and 2016. 4 Louis van Gaal has hit out at the way Manchester United operate behind the scenes Credit: AP 4 Ruben Amorim has struggled since joining the club last November Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 4 Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has also been criticised for cost-cutting Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Van Gaal, 73, won a solitary FA Cup during his tenure as United boss. And he's been watching their horror 2024/25 season from afar. The Red Devils finished without silverware last term, INEOS owner READ MORE ON MAN UTD But results continued to slide under the former Sporting Lisbon chief. Van Gaal told "It is not a football club. I have said that before - and that's always difficult." The 73-year-old believes the club will never find success unless Amorim is given the chance to choose his own players. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He continued: "When [it's] not the manager deciding which player has to come, it's very difficult. "I think that is the way it should be. Bruno Fernandes reveals role his wife played in £200m Al-Hilal transfer snub even though Man Utd were ready to cash in "Because then you can fire the manager because he's not getting results. "When other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge [of the manager] because he has to train them." Van Gaal also begged United chiefs to "pay attention" to the way He added: "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager, you need to buy this player. "Pay attention to [that]." Van Gaal won 54 of his 103 games in charge at Old Trafford. 4 His overall win percentage with the club stands at 52.43 per cent. That figure is lower than three United managers who have followed him through the door at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag all boast higher win percentages. But current boss Amorim has the lowest of all five. The Portuguese manager has won just 16 of his 42 games in charge - a paltry win percentage of 38.10 per cent. That's the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in 1971.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘Not a football club' – Former Man Utd boss launches scathing attack on old side while heaping praise on bitter rivals
LOUIS VAN GAAL has launched a stunning broadside on former club Manchester United. The Dutchman was in the Old Trafford hot seat between 2014 and 2016. 3 3 Van Gaal, 73, won a solitary FA Cup during his tenure as United boss. And he's been watching their horror 2024/25 season from afar with interest. The Red Devils finished without silverware last term, languishing 15th in the Premier League. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe - who has embarked on controversial cost-cutting across the club - employed Ruben Amorim midway through the season to stop the rot. But results continued to slide under the former Sporting Lisbon chief. Van Gaal told Sky Sports:"It is still a commercial club. "It is not a football club. I have said that before - and that's always difficult." The 73-year-old believes United will never find success unless Amorim is given the chance to choose his own players. He continued: "When [it's] not the manager deciding which player has to come, it's very difficult. "I think that is the way it should be. Bruno Fernandes reveals role his wife played in £200m Al-Hilal transfer snub even though Man Utd were ready to cash in "Because then you can fire the manager because he's not getting results. "When other people buy the players, then you have a problem. "You need to have the knowledge [of the manager] because he has to train them." Van Gaal also begged United chiefs to "pay attention" to the way Premier League champions Liverpool are operating under Arne Slot. He added: "Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical manager, you need to buy this player. "Pay attention to [that]." Van Gaal won 54 of his 103 games in charge at Old Trafford. His overall win percentage with the club stands at 52.43 per cent. That figure is lower than three United managers who have followed him through the door at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Erik ten Hag all boast higher win percentages. But current boss Amorim has the lowest of all five. The Portuguese manager has won just 16 of his 42 games in charge - a paltry win percentage of 38.10 per cent. That's the worst of any permanent United manager since Frank O'Farrell in 1971.
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I was tipped to be Man Utd great – I've now been without a club for 12 months'
A big future was predicted when Tyler Blackett emerged onto the senior Manchester United stage under Louis van Gaal, but his career looks to have come to a premature end A little over a decade ago, a fresh-faced Tyler Blackett stepped onto the Old Trafford pitch for his Manchester United debut. At 31, the central defender now finds himself at a crossroads - clubless and without a competitive game in over a year since Rotherham United released him at the end of the 2023/24 season. Once hailed as a future Red Devils defensive cornerstone, Blackett forged a solid Championship career after failing to make the grade at United. But his current limbo paints a stark contrast to the promise of his youth. "How I've been? Okay," Blackett told Flashscore earlier this year. "It's not been easy by any means, it's something which I've not had to deal with in my career before. Some days better than others. "But I'm just getting through - staying fit and training. Just keeping on top of things and doing what I can do to be ready when the right opportunity comes. It's about waiting for the right fit now." Blackett's journey began at eight when he joined United, his boyhood club, dreaming of emulating defensive titans Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. He rose swiftly through the academy, his blend of physicality and composure catching the eye. In 2014, with Ferdinand and Vidic both departing, a door cracked open. New manager Louis van Gaal, impressed by Blackett's pre-season showings, fast-tracked him to the senior squad. "Van Gaal was great for me," Blackett said. "He obviously had trust in young players and gave you that confidence by giving those outlines and what he expected from you. "That's what you had to focus on, and that helped me at that time. He was a manager who gave me an opportunity, and I have always praised him and thanked him for that." Blackett made 12 senior appearances in Van Gaal's first season, showing flashes of his potential. In 2015, when he signed a new contract, Van Gaal doubled down on his belief. 'Tyler has great potential and I believe he is at the right club to continue his development and progression to become a great defender,' the Dutchman said. The words carried weight, fuelling optimism that Blackett could be United's next homegrown star. A loan move to Celtic was sorted the following season, with hopes Blackett could get some high-level, regular football under his belt, before coming back to fight for a place in United's starting XI. Instead, the move backfired. Blackett languished on the bench or was used out of position at left-back, sapping his confidence and rhythm. He returned to Manchester a shadow of the player who'd left. The arrival of Jose Mourinho in 2016 sealed Blackett's fate. Unlike Van Gaal, Mourinho showed little faith in the young defender, allowing him to join Reading without a single sniff of first-team action. Blackett's United dream was over. It was in Berkshire, as well as during later stints at Nottingham Forest and in the MLS with FC Cincinnati, that he showed glimpses of his old promise, albeit largely struggling for consistency once again. In 2023, Blackett signed with Rotherham. He made 23 appearances in the 2023/24 season, offering stability to a side battling relegation. But the Millers' struggles culminated in a drop to League One, and Blackett was released, leaving him without a club for the first time in his professional career. His time in Yorkshire, while steady, underscored a career that never quite recaptured the heights of his United days. Under Van Gaal, he stood on the cusp of greatness - a homegrown talent with the tools to succeed at the highest level. But football is unforgiving. Loans that falter, managerial changes, and fleeting confidence can derail even the brightest prospects. Blackett's 12 appearances for United remain a fleeting highlight in a career that, while respectable, never matched the lofty expectations set in 2014. As he trains alone, awaiting the 'right fit,' Blackett's story serves as a poignant reminder of how fine the margins are in the beautiful game. Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
