Louis van Gaal could be on his way out of Old Trafford by the end of this week. The Red Devils face Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round, and nothing other than a win would suffice on Friday.
Manchester United fans jeered the Dutch boss at the end of the 1 – 0 defeat against Southampton at home on Saturday. A majority of United fans are unhappy with the results and performances so far this season and are calling for a change at the helm.
One can argue that Manchester United’s problems aren’t completely down to their manager. The 20-time English champions have been unlucky with injuries, out-of-form forwards and the immense pressure of meeting the big expectations at the club. They have also spent a lot of money in the transfer market, but not all the signings have settled and adapted to life in Manchester.
The English giants showed signs of progress in the second of last season and it seemed that the players had adapted to the philosophy of Van Gaal. United started the season brightly but by the end of 2015, their performances reached a new low.
Manchester United board should also take a share of the blame as they bought in the former Barcelona and Bayern boss knowing his style of play and his areas of expertise. The Reds were also unable to lure Van Gaal’s first choice transfer targets, mainly a ball-playing centre back and fast and creative wingers.
It seems unlikely that United would make a big signing before the end of this midseason transfer window. But hypothetically can a signing or two turns around the season for them?
The likes of Gareth Bale, Antoine Greizmann, Arjen Robben and Neymar are more than capable of winning matches on their own. According to many sources, United have pursued players of such caliber. It isn’t certain that addition of two such players will win them the title automatically, but it will definitely make them genuine title contenders.
It seems unlikely that any of these players will leave their respective clubs to join United half-way through the season. All of these players will be cup-tied and, therefore, they won’t feature in Europe for the rest of the season. Moreover, not many of them would want to downgrade from being potential Champions League winners at the end of the campaign to playing in the Europa League. Although, Van Gaal’s former player Arjen Robben could be tempted with a move to United as the former Chelsea man is looking for more game time. Robben will certainly be a starter at the club, and he might come to the aid of his former boss with a little bit persuasion.
Recently, Robben said that he needs more match rhythm.
“I noticed that I’m getting stronger. I need rhythm; I need games. This time, it was only 10 minutes,” Robben is quoted as saying by TZ.
“Of course [I’d like to be playing more], but this is the coach’s decision, and you have to accept it.
“I haven’t even been in training for two weeks; I still need a little more time, but I will do everything in training.”
“We must continue to work well and improve ourselves. Juventus will come faster than you think. We need to be at full throttle in every match,” Robben added.
Man United desperately need a fullback too as most of their first choice players have joined the treatment room. Players such as Young and Valencia who were primarily brought to assist the team in the attacking department were made to fill in the defense prior to their entry into the treatment room.