IT WAS ONLY a few months ago when Louis van Gaal said he intended to walk away from Manchester United when his contract is up in the summer of 2017.
Now, it appears he may reconsider.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Wednesday evening’s Champions League clash with Wolfsburg at Old Trafford, van Gaal outlined how the original plan was to retire to his holiday home with wife Truus at the end of his current deal.
But, it seems he could be persuaded to stay in the hot-seat for a while longer.
“Normally I shall leave after next year but what is normal in our football world?”, he told reporters.
You never know so I cannot answer that question but I promised my wife to go with her to our paradise [villa in Portugal] so it shall be very hard for me to deny that promise. I was 55 and I go to Bayern Munich and next year I am 65 and say I stay a year longer, it shall be very hard to my wife.”
Van Gaal previously said that he told his wife he’d retire at 55 but it was at that stage of his life that his career was reignited – his spell at AZ resulting in a Dutch league title in 2009 – a triumph that resulted in his subsequent move to Bayern.
The Dutchman has outlined his belief that Ryan Giggs will succeed him as United’s manager but the current assistant may have to wait a while longer for his chance.
Van Gaal may see Champions League success as his crowning glory and spoke today of how it was ‘realistic’ to think United could lift the European Cup within the next two years.
“Reaching the final is also an aim and winning the final, you need a little bit of luck”, he said.
“It is not only quality [but luck, too], and I think Manchester United knows and remembers that fantastically when they won the Champions League in 1999.
When you reach the final, it is a fantastic but in the media it is nothing. For me as a manager, when you reach the final, you have done fantastically and to win the final, of course, all the honours are going to your team and yourself but I know better.”
When pressed on whether United have what it takes to win the trophy before his current contract ends, van Gaal said:
“I hope so. That is realistic.”
