Louis van Gaal: Manchester United will finish second or third
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that he does not believe the squad will win the Premier League this season. At an event for executive season ticket holders, about 900 in total, the Dutch manager confirmed that he expects Manchester United to finish in second or third.
Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal are the most likely candidates to finish ahead of the Red Devils, though the season has only just begun. Rather, the manager hopes to compete in the three cup competitions this year: the League Cup, FA Cup, and of course, the Champions League.
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It will be difficult for United to play at top level on all fronts, especially after the massive offloading of players this summer with the likes of Robin van Persie, Chicharito, Adnan Januzaj, and other key talents leaving the club.
Now with the news that James Wilson will likely be leaving on loan to a Championship side, the squad will be desperately thin at the striker position with just Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial as the only natural strikers if the loan deal goes through.
Van Gaal also admitted that the club overpaid for Martial, but that he was buying the young Frenchman for the next manager. Therefore, it’s hard to see Manchester United making much of a run in the Champions League, though it may be possible in the League Cup and FA Cup.
Without the title race this year, that leaves next year’s campaign as the final opportunity for the Red Devils to win the League during van Gaal’s reign. During the event, van Gaal stressed his opinion that, following his retirement from the role, Ryan Giggs will go on to be the next manager of Manchester United. It is unclear how much say he will have in the matter, but the former Barcelona man’s pedigree could make his opinion vital to the replacement search.
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Giggs has long been thought the natural successor, but with little managerial experience aside from his assistant role the past three years, the executives could decide to go with a more seasoned veteran.
Additionally, the manager offered praise to two of his current players – Rooney and Andreas Pereira. After the English striker’s record breaking goal earlier in the week, van Gaal grouped him in the top five players he has ever managed; the list includes Ronald de Boer, Luis Figo, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The 64 year old also called Rooney the best captain he has ever worked with.
Andreas Pereira was tipped to fill the void left by Adnan Januzaj‘s departure to Borussia Dortmund on loan. The young Brazilian featured during the club’s preseason US tour, but has rarely been involved in the team for regular season play.
He made two appearances for the Reds last season and was on the teamsheet for the opening fixture against Tottenham. The 19 year old will look to capitalize on his opportunity, potentially as early as the match against Liverpool.
All in all, it was a mixed bag of remarks from van Gaal at the event, but with the season still only just getting in full gear, who knows what will happen in the coming months.
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