Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has admitted the Red Devils decision to appoint Louis van Gaal was down to the Dutchman’s ability to get his players to play attacking style of football.
The 62-year-old replaced David Moyes as United manager after the Red Devils had a poor run in all competitions last season – finishing seventh in the league table. Van Gaal has already won titles in the Eredivisie, La Liga and Bundesliga.
“He’s got incredible energy and very importantly he likes attacking football,” Woodward told the club’s official website.
“If you remember the Barcelona team [he managed] in the late ’90s, who played incredible, attacking football, and those games we had against them in ’98/99, that’s the kind of football Manchester United fans love. It’s part of our DNA,” explained Woodward.”
Meanwhile, Woodward hailed the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager’s track record of promoting young players and giving them a chance to feature in the club’s first team.
“The second part of what he likes is giving youth a chance. He’s got a track record littered with giving young players a break in the first team, who have gone on to be stars. Clearly that’s Manchester United’s philosophy and we want him to continue with that,” United chief said.
“I’ve personally found him very warm. He’s a very clear communicator and very direct. I like that in people; I’m a very direct person myself. He’s a stickler for planning and that’s something we as a club do very well. We plan everything in a lot of detail and that’s going to be a good fit.”
“We’ve got someone who has confidence in himself about making difficult decisions and, when you boil down what makes a great manager, one of the key characteristics is making difficult decisions and we’ve clearly got a manager who can do that,” Woodward concluded.
United are out of the Champions League next season, leaving them to feature in the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Capital One Cup. One should see how the Red Devils will progress under Van Gaal in his debut season in England.
The Old Trafford club have already added two players to the squad – Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw this summer. Few more signings are yet to be done as the players are currently in the US for pre-season tour.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
