Despite being the manager responsible for the record-equaling 12th FA cup victory, Louis van Gaal finds himself jobless after Manchester United announced the termination of the Dutchman’s contract on Monday.
The sacking comes following a poor season where the Red Devils finished fifth and failed to qualify for the Champions League. Reports also suggested that the Dutch manager had lost the confidence of his players in the dressing room due to his heavy-handed approach. LVG faced heavy criticism regarding his tactics and the savourless football that United were playing under him and had been tipped to lose his job as early as December.
The announcement has brought about an air of relief among the Old Trafford faithful and the club’s decorated players but some have shown sympathy towards the former Netherlands manager as well. Here are all the reactions following the news of the manager’s dismissal.
Daley Blind
Blind was one of the unsung and most improved players for United this season and he criticised the club's decision to sack Louis van Gaal.
“I've enjoyed working with the manager so much. I would have liked to have carried on for a long while. A manager at a big club in the Premier League will always be under pressure. But in the case of Van Gaal he has not been treated fairly over the last six months.
"I think a manager with the status of Van Gaal, who has achieved so much in his career, deserved more respect. No matter what was said or written about him as a manager, he never stopped protecting us as players. He has defended us under any kind of circumstances, he was always taking the stick instead of us.
"I think I can say that the whole squad is grateful for that, for what he has done in that respect for us as players. As players we kept believing in each other and we also kept believing in our manager, which was part of the reason we were able to win the FA Cup. We achieved this as a group, including the manager. In the end, this was a successful season in our eyes."
Rio Ferdinand
Club legend and former England centre-back Ferdinand, who won the Champions League with the club amongst many trophies, posted this on his official Facebook account.
“After few hours to let the dust settle.. I thought I would write a few words on (Louis Van Gaal (LVG).
“His unwavering belief in his methods is something to respect in many ways but it was also part of his undoing too. Success (winning the league or CL) is what Manchester United demands & added to that an attacking, quick, aggressive & imaginative style of football. Unfortunately LVG failed to bring either of those elements to the club.
“He is huge personality who won an FA cup, keeping up his habit of winning trophies everywhere he has been but his #MUFC legacy will be the introduction of the players from the academy like Rashford, Lingard, Fosu-Mensah etc which WAS in keeping with the history of the club - giving kids an opportunity to play.”
Here’s the Facebook post.
Memphis Depay
In an interview with De Telegraaf, Memphis diplomatically answered when quizzed about his love-hate relationship with the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern boss, "I don't know, and now he's leaving. That's how it goes in football, in life, and you learn and grow stronger.”
On whether Van Gaal's exit would be a problem for him, he said: "No, this does not affect me. I am happy to be at Manchester United and the board is happy with me, so I don't know why it would.
"If Mourinho officially arrives, I'll certainly ask Wesley Sneijder what kind of man he is," he said.
When told Sneijder describes him as the best coach he has ever worked with, Depay said: "That's a nice prospect."
Danny Blind
Netherland’s coach and Van Gaal’s old pal Danny blind felt the 64-year-old did not deserve to be shown the door.
“I’m closer to the situation than many other people and I can tell you that his departure came as a surprise. I feel for him. He doesn’t deserve this. I’ve worked with him for so many years. I played under him for years at Ajax, I was his captain, I was his assistant at the last World Cup. He’s a great coach.“We all know that, as a manager, you will face the sack at some stage in your career. It happens to every manager. In this case, I find it very disappointing. I know in which way this sacking was done and it’s not the way it should go.”
Here’s how football pundits took to social media to express their views on the sacking:
