Former manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that he urged the Manchester United board to complete 10 blockbuster signings during his time at Old Trafford between 2014 and 2016, all of which the club failed to follow through on. Stayed.
Van Gaal’s time at United is not fondly remembered by many fans, who saw United fail to finish higher than fourth in the Premier League, and his style of football was not always appreciated by the supporters.
Angel Di Maria was the poster boy for all the issues/Michael Regan/Getty Images.
However, things could have been very different if Van Gaal had the backing of the United board in the transfer market as the Dutchman looked to target some big signings to try and get the Red Devils back to the top of the table.
“I wanted Robert Lewandowski, but when it proved difficult I tried to get Gonzalo Higuain instead,” Van Gaal told FourFourTwo.
“Before I arrived, I also spoke to the board about Neymar. If you’re at United, you have to think big. He was also interesting for the club in terms of selling shirts, and I wanted to get a fast winger. wanted
Van Gaal wanted Neymar at Old Trafford/Jane Cateff/Getty Images
“For that reason, I also tried to get Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez. Thomas Muller was also on my wish list, and in central midfield I wanted N’Golo Kanté. I also wanted James Milner. Tried to sign, who was already quite old. But very multi-functional and with leadership skills.
“For the defence, I wanted Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels, because we weren’t the strongest at building from the back.
“Those were my biggest goals, but we didn’t get any of them. I don’t know why, because as manager I wasn’t involved in any negotiations.
“After I left, players like Mahrez and Kante ended up at Manchester City and Chelsea, while United couldn’t get them. I found it very strange.”
Instead of listening to Van Gaal, the United hierarchy decided to attack the likes of Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin, although Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw and even Ander Herrera were all successful signings during his reign. were
His time at Old Trafford ended on a sour note as he led United to their then-record 12th FA Cup, only to be unceremoniously sacked two days later and replaced by Jose Mourinho. was taken
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