Louis van Gaal has advised Erik ten Hag to reject the Manchester United job, and it could be some excellent advice.
Van Gaal spent nearly two years in Manchester, winning the FA Cup in the process. Many managers have taken over the managerial role since Alex Ferguson departed, but they are yet to find anyone to stay in the hot seat long-term.
Van Gaal told Voetbal International: “Erik ten Hag is a great coach and that is always good for Manchester United. But Manchester United are a commercial club, so it’s a difficult choice for a coach. He’d better go to a football club.”
Ten Hag is a fantastic, tactical manager, and Van Gaal believes he should be joining a club that will allow him to express this. Due to the sheer size of Manchester United, the club is extremely commercialised, and that’s often the reasoning behind some of their decisions.
An example being Cristiano Ronaldo, who although can still offer something to the team, it’s obvious to me that it was a marketing ploy for the club, rather than a smart, footballing decision.
Ferguson was given decades to develop at Manchester United, despite early success being limited. Of course, over time, Ferguson developed the club into the size they are now, and won a list of trophies that not many other managers can boast. However, the club have rarely offered this kind of patience to any manager since he left the role.
Since Ferguson left, Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and David Moyes were all given less than three years at the helm.
Granted, the likes of Moyes, Van Gaal, and Solskjaer brought very little success in terms of trophies, but Mourinho won a Europe League, League Cup and Community Shield during his short spell. He also had a 58% win record, just shy of Alex Ferguson’s 59%.
Inevitably, Mourinho still got sacked from the role, and I believe the job at Manchester United is a poisoned chalice.
As great as it may seem, being able to manage such a prestigious club, it’s difficult to please the Manchester United officials. Patience is lacking amongst the hierarchy, and after having one manager in 27 years from 1986 to 2013, they’re close to appointing their eighth in under ten years (including caretakers).
Ten Hag must have immense confidence in his ability, to change the mentality at Manchester United from top to bottom. Patience is needed, as they proved themselves with Ferguson.
There is little to no point in appointing a man like Ten Hag, if he isn’t given more time and leeway to develop this squad into one that can suit his style, and into a squad full of players that want to play for the club.
Van Gaal may sound a little bitter by telling the Dutchman to avoid this job, but he may also be offering sound advice to his fellow countryman.