How long does Van Gaal have left?
By James Reeve
Manchester United drew 0-0 with Chelsea this past Monday but speculation continues to grow around the future of manager Louis Van Gaal.
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The 0-0 draw saw United pick up just their 3rd league point since their 2-1 victory over Watford at the end of November, with that being the club’s last victory in all competitions.
The run of poor results has heaped pressure and noticeable stress on Dutch manager Van Gaal, who walked out of a press conference last week after journalists pressed him for information about his future.
With popular manager Jose Mourinho being currently unattached to any club and Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola leaving Germany in the summer, many wonder how long Van Gaal has left in his current position.
Losses to Stoke, Bournemouth and Norwich have made United fans doubt Van Gaal’s ability to lead the team to the glory that is expected, considering how many years of success the club enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson.
So how long will Van Gaal keep his job for?
Van Gaal improved the club’s performances last season, seeing them qualify for the Champions League one season after David Moyes had failed to live up to expectations left by being Ferguson’s hand-picked successor.
Fans had higher hopes for this season, believing the club to be turning a corner in their progress and at one point it looked like fans would be rewarded with United sitting atop the table and boasting the best defensive record in the league.
But now, a few weeks later, the club have been knocked out of the Champions League, are now in 6th place in the Premier League and have not looked like the United teams of old.
Many fans feel that the club is difficult to watch, with the team playing too defensively.
Their 0-0 draw with Chelsea sees them now have 30 points on the season, 4 points behind local rivals Manchester City in 4th place.
Van Gaal believes that the club’s hierarchy still have faith in his abilities and he recently spoke with Ed Woodward regarding his future, with the Dutchman still seemingly grasping on to his job.
But how long will he hold on to it for?
Fans are seemingly beginning to wish for a change, with Mourinho being considered the ideal manager to take over the team and turn things around for them.
Mourinho has long-desired the United job and would seemingly relish the opportunity to take over and turn the Red Devils into perennial title contenders.
But that can’t happen as long as Van Gaal is still in charge. If the club suffer another defeat, or even a draw, in their next match, will the ex-Holland national manager be able to keep his grip? Or will the club finally decide that it is time to move on?
A quick turnover of managers isn’t something United are used to, given the longevity of Ferguson’s career with them, and it may also be worth remembering that the club’s now-greatest manager had a poor start with United and was on the verge of being sacked himself.
Maybe Van Gaal needs more time before a decision should be made?
Do you think Van Gaal will be sacked sooner rather than later? Would you be happy to see him go or disappointed that he hasn’t had enough time to improve results?
Let us know your thoughts on Van Gaal’s future in the comments!