Van Gaal uncertain about future
Print Edition
Louis van Gaal has confessed he does not know if he will still be Manchester United manager if the team fails to finish in the top four this season.
The Dutchman seems to have steadied the ship since the turn of the year with only one defeat in eight games although the likelihood of securing a top four finish, and with it the lucrative place in the Champions League, still seems distant.
But with speculation consistently surrounding his future 鈥 and the shadow of Jose Mourinho never far from discussions about the Old Trafford job 鈥 van Gaal is clearly not able to guarantee his survival should his team miss out on the Champions League places.
鈥淚t is not a question for me, I think,鈥 said van Gaal. 鈥淚t is a question of the board of Manchester United, you have to put that question to them. I have a contract for three years.鈥
However, despite the uncertainty surrounding his position in charge of the club, van Gaal does not expect any clarification from his employers over his status.
Van Gaal has spoken of his strong relationship, not only with executive vice chairman Ed Woodward but also with American owners the Glazers, and does not feel they need to respond to speculation over whether or not he will see out the third and final year of his United contract.
鈥淣o,鈥 said van Gaal. 鈥淚 do not agree because I have said many, many times that 鈥 not all the media, of course 鈥 but a lot of the media is inventing stories and we don鈥檛 have to answer invented stories. I agree with this policy of the club.鈥
United has responded to the disaster of a home defeat to Southampton last month, which resulted in outright hostility from Reds鈥 supporters, with two wins and a draw and still retains interest in two cup competitions.
The United manager believes his players are handling the pressure well given the turmoil around the club and surrounding his own job security.
鈥淚 have to say that we are doing great in that respect,鈥 he said.
鈥淏ecause we have lost four matches in a row in December but when you see us playing now you can only say that we are mentally very strong.
鈥淲e can cope with the pressure but that is not enough. We have to improve our results and consistency and we have to win a lot of matches in a row now because we have to minimize the gap between us and our competitors.鈥
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