Louis Van Gaal disclosed yesterday that Sir Alex Ferguson had called him recently to wish him all the luck in his new job.
Van Gaal has taken over from David Moyes as Manchester United manager. He is known to be a manager quite similar to Ferguson. He also has a very strong personality and he likes to go about his business as he wants to without coming in the influence of the others.
Some people might say that Van Gaal is a bit too strict and at times, he tries to dictate terms, but, the truth is that he is a highly respected man in the managerial field and that’s why, he has been widely tipped to be successful at Old Trafford.
Everybody saw Van Gaal’s tactical brilliances in Brazil a couple of weeks ago. If he feels like making a certain move, he does that. He doesn’t think for a minute that if this particular move goes wrong, what would be the reaction among the fans. In short, he is a bold manager and United certainly needed one like that.
In one of his interviews, when Van Gaal was asked if he has had a chat with Ferguson since his appointment at Old Trafford, he said, “Yes, I have. He telephoned me the other day to convey his best wishes. We have a good tuning with each other. I would probably be meeting him soon and have a cup of coffee. He is a great man.”
When asked about the English media calling him an autocratic personality, Van Gaal said, “That hasn’t impressed me to be honest. Being strong is quite different from being autocratic, but, unfortunately, a few people don’t get that.”
This is Van Gaal’s first tenure as manager in England.