‘He’s doing a great job.’
Sir Alex Ferguson, who became one of the club’s legendary managers after leading Manchester United to its greatest heyday, lavished praise on the junior manager who is once again challenging him for the club’s glory days. It was as if he was recognizing his true successor.
The man Ferguson praised was Eric ten Hague, who has been at the helm of the club since last summer. Van Gaal’s passion and tactics have revitalized the club from the doldrums. Ten years after Sir Ferguson’s retirement, the club has found the right manager.
On the 15th (KST), British media outlet Daily Mail reported, “Van Gaal has been praised by Sir Ferguson for doing a fantastic job. This is because Van Gaal has formed a new squad by signing Rasmus Højlund and others,” it reported.
After reaching their peak during Ferguson’s tenure from the 1990s to the early 2010s, United have generally been in decline since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. Between Sir Ferguson’s retirement and Van Gaal’s arrival in 2022, the club had four permanent managers (David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer), two acting managers, and one interim manager. The math works out to an average tenure of just under a year and a half. Obviously, the club was never going to be run properly.
But since Van Gaal’s arrival, the club has gotten back on track. After leading Dutch side Ajax to the top of the league, Van Gaal immediately took control of the club with his strong principles and charisma. In the process, he swept aside players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire who did not follow his leadership or whose performances were not up to standard, and solidified his command.
United finished third in the league last year and won the Carabao Cup. This season, they are challenging for the EPL title with strong reinforcements. The summer transfer window brought in goalkeeper Andre Onana, midfielder Mason Mount, and frontline striker Rasmus Hojlund to overhaul the squad.
As a result, Van Gaal’s leadership is making the club stronger. Sir Ferguson was one of the first to recognize the positive changes at United, saying in a televised interview before the opening game of the season: ‘Van Gaal is doing a fantastic job,’ he said, ‘He’s brought in his own players, and if he can get Højlund back quickly, we can be a really good team. ‘We’ve lacked a striker for the last couple of years,’ he said, ‘and the rest of the squad is really good.메이저놀이터
Following this baptism of praise from Ferguson, United got off to a flying start in their home opener, beating Wolverhampton 1-0. Veteran defender Raphael Varane scored the winning goal with a header in the 31st minute. United has started strongly this season.