The former Manchester United manager spoke out on behalf of the current manager.
Manchester United have endured several tumultuous periods since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but he has urged patience for Louis van Gaal.
After the legendary manager retired in 2013 and David Moyes lasted less than a season, Van Gaal was brought in to steady the ship. But the Dutchman has done anything but that in his second season in charge, with United seemingly always on the brink of collapse. To his credit, though, he has avoided disaster by keeping the possibility open of a top four finish.
But even if Manchester United do finish in the top four, the squad would meet the bare minimum for expectations. The Red Devils were expected to compete for the Premier League crown, but they have failed to do so even with the inferiority of the league as a whole this season.
Despite Van Gaal’s underachieving, Sir Alex Ferguson stepped forward in support of the manager. Speaking to Sky Sports, the retired manager said:
"“For 150 years of history it is worth having a couple of years on the quiet side of success because they will always come back and come back strong. You have to have some patience being a Manchester United fan and they have shown that over the years; in Matt Busby’s time, in my time.”"
Ferguson’s quote obviously represents the best case scenario, where a club can afford to be patient with their manager. He’s correct in saying that Manchester United gave he and Matt Busby patience, but there’s a major difference between those two and Van Gaal.
More from Red Devil Armada
- Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
- Manchester United break an unwanted record after Brighton loss
- Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
- Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
- Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
When Busby and Ferguson took over at Old Trafford, neither had extensive experience in management. In contrast, Van Gaal had previously managed both Barcelona and Bayern Munich before taking the reigns in Manchester.
As such, there shouldn’t have been a waiting period for success after his appointment. His transfer record should have been far better with United given the amount he has spent, but instead we’ve seen numerous players flop in his system. The team simply should have performed at a higher level this year.
Ferguson, however, offered an explanation for the campaign’s disappointment:
"“It is dead easy to be critical. You have to be realistic about some things – the number of injuries he has had: Phil Jones has played only seven games this season, Ashley Young, Valencia, Shaw, these are big losses. It doesn’t matter which team you are, if you have players missing of that calibre it has to have an impact on the team.”"
More from Manchester United News
- Aaron Wan Bissaka out for ‘several weeks’ with injury
- Sofyan Amrabat set to miss game against Brighton
- Preview: Manchester United vs Brighton – What you need to know
- Jadon Sancho set to train away from first team squad
- Mike Phelan blasts Manchester United teammates over Ronaldo exit
To be quite honest, Luke Shaw was the only major loss of those players. Jones, Young, and Valencia are all decent and useful as depth, but none of them would have made the team dramatically better.
The one point Ferguson made that is inarguable is Van Gaal’s youth record this year:
"“He’s given nine young players their debut – I think the future is good. Rashford is an example of what I think is Manchester United. They are the one club in England who will always identify a Rashford and give a young kid a chance – there is no better club in England at giving young kids a chance. Rashford is a sensation and one of the best in years.”"
Of course, those debuts only came as the result of injuries to the first team. The manager has said it was his plan from the beginning to give youth a chance in such a situation, but that claim is questionable at best. The emergence of Rashford and others may have been more a fortunate coincidence than anything else.
Next: Most Disappointing United Players this Season
At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Louis van Gaal will be in charge for another transfer period. But it certainly can’t hurt for arguably the most legendary figure in Manchester United’s history to argue on his behalf.