“It’s not a football club" - Louis van Gaal slams Manchester United as he goes on rant about club management and owners

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has criticized the club, labelling them a commercial side. He said the owners only cared about the financial side and not about the performances on the pitch.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Van Gaal went on a rant and said that a United manager was not consulted about the players he wanted at the club. He added that Manchester United were not run like a football club and claimed that it was difficult for any manager to do well at Old Trafford. He said (via SI):

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“It’s still a commercial club. It’s not a football club, I think. I have said that before. And that’s always difficult. When [it’s] not the manager [who] is deciding which player has to come, it’s very difficult.”

Van Gaal had also slammed the Red Devils in 2020, claiming that the club had no quality players in the squad. He told Voetbal International (via GOAL):

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“Man United did not have the qualities to become champions and had an outdated selection with 10 players over 30, five over 35. A turnover of £600 million and can’t buy the players you need. You should buy number one and not number seven."

Van Gaal managed Manchester United for two years between 2014 and 2016. He was sacked just days after winning the 2015/16 FA Cup, and was replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Manchester United urged to learn from Liverpool by Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has urged the Manchester United think tank to learn from Liverpool. He believes that the coaches should be the ones making the decision on signings and not the club management. He said:

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“I think this is the way that it should be, because then you can fire a manager because he doesn’t give any results. But when other persons buy the players, then you have a problem. Because you need to have the knowledge of the manager, the orientation of the manager, because he has to train them. So I think it shall be always like that. And Arne Slot [Liverpool manager] is the man who says to his technical manager that he has to buy this player. Pay attention to it.”

Manchester United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, while Liverpool won the title.

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