What would Sir Alex Ferguson say in a letter to Louis van Gaal?

Sir Alex Ferguson (L) and Louis van Gaal.

Dear Louis,

I’ll spare you the trouble of having to reply to how life is in England. I know you’re finding it hard. Things have been tough for you ever since you arrived at the Greater Manchester end of the M62. Each weekend has promised a new start for you and the boys, only to be replaced by more gloom; more despair.

You’ve been at Catalunya, Amsterdam and Bavaria. You know how to deal with this. You’ve been there, done that and done that again. Listen to me – it is only a matter of time before you get it right at United too. You, my friend, have been the club’s best signing this summer.

Look at me; coming to Manchester after winning the European Super Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup with Aberdeen, I had to wait six years before winning anything of real importance –the League title. Today, people justify me and my initial failures by saying I had a weak squad. They say I had to contend with a strong Liverpool side, the best team on the planet at the time. They forget that you have not just Liverpool, but the likes of Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and even Spurs to fight against.

But, I had none of this sympathy when I was losing. You know as well as I do that even the fans are nothing more than fair-weather friends. Today, they forget and the whole world forgets that I too spent my way to building a strong team. They forget Mark Hughes, Paul Ince, Neil Webb, Mike Phelan... They forget the money spent, when you win. They forget the misery of before, when you win. And most importantly, they forgive you when you win.

So, don’t be fazed by accusations of excessive spending. We all know you have a plan. We all trust you. Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera, two of your so-called luxury signings, are already showing Carrington what they’ve been missing. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of them do so. Better man managers than you are hard to find. You even taught our wily friend, Jose Mourinho, the tricks of the trade.

So, if you feel you need more cover in certain areas, put your foot down and insist upon buying the players you want. You want Kevin Strootman in January? Buy him. I know Ed Woodward can be no David Gill, but I’m sure he isn’t going to refuse funds if you insist. Accusations of money spent last only till you win – I heard no one mentioning it last week when the boys gave QPR a sound beating.

Talking of new signings, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you. It is about your captain. Now, you know Wayne Rooney and I aren’t, and were never, on the best of terms. He nearly left the club for West London when I was i charge. Such was his ego that he couldn’t handle me making Robin van Persie the focal point of the team. I had to witness David Moyes indulging him last year, letting him hold the club to sword.

Now, I see you indulging him, making him the captain. I know he’s an important player in the team, and that you have big plans for him going forward. He’s a fantastic footballer and the team’s best English player. But I must warn you, he’s a player who isn’t progressing at the rate at which most players of his age would. Wayne’s career is stalling, he drifts through games. All he has to show these days, are some highlight reel moments, some magnificent goals and some moments of magic.

Outside of these, he doesn’t do much. He doesn’t give the team that edge, that X-Factor which we are entitled to expect from a player who earns what he does, and he cuts a frustrated figure all the time. Liverpool are being criticised for signing Balotelli, of whom the same things could be said as Wayne, and he costs them only a fraction of what Wayne does, in wages.

And now that the club is covered in the attacking half, why still depend so much on Wayne? Look at the rest of them – Robin, on his day, is one of the best centre-forwards in the world. Di Maria is a Champions League winner of the highest pedigree, who works his socks off. Mata was a two-time Chelsea Player of the Year before being shunted out to the wings by Moyes. And, Falcao is up there with Robin, one of the best poachers in the game.

And, Wayne? He’s an Englishman, the product of a system and media, where everything home-grown and bred, is over hyped. He isn’t a classic penalty box striker like the other two, he doesn’t yet have the vision, guile and trickery to be a No. 10 (this looks his best position though, given his incredible passing range), doesn’t have the speed to be a winger, doesn’t have the heart to be a box-to-box midfielder and hasn’t yet shown the qualities to be a captain.

Is Wayne Rooney captaincy material for Manchester United?

His outburst at young Tyler Blackett after losing possession himself at Leicester was a case in point. Roy Hodgson doesn’t have too many options with the national team. Surely, the same can’t be said of you? Don’t indulge Wayne further; even though he’s the captain, keep him on his toes. While he thrives on your confidence and faith, it is important that he understands that nothing less than 100% in every single game would do.

Also, his presence in the team puts someone like Adnan Januzaj way down the pecking order and that isn’t good for the team. Most importantly, none of them are growing any younger. Robin is past 30, while Wayne and Falcao are fast approaching it. This is where Welbeck could have been important for the club in the future. Maybe, you could have waited for a window or two before selling him instead of selling to a direct rival for a rather cheap price.

Danny is a boy who plays with a lot of heart and effort, and while he might not be as talented as the other three, he could have learned from them and improved exponentially. Some players need that confidence, that arm on their shoulders. Poor Danny never had that. Maybe, you could mould young James Wilson into the next great United No. 9. Time, confidence and patience is needed though, and this is where you can help him. The way you handled the likes of Wijnaldum, Martins Indi, De Vrij and Cillessen in Brazil was incredible.

I talked of signing proven players for vast sums of money earlier. Luckily, I had a bunch of local lads who took the limelight away from them, and established me as a great developer of young talent. Now, you already have that name. Andres Iniesta, Thomas Muller, Memphis Depay – they are all what they are because of the faith you showed in them. I want you to show the same faith in our youngsters too. Granted, almost all of them have flattered to deceive till now. But they’re all good lads, proud of the colour of the shirt they wear.

Tom Cleverley and Danny have left already – it would break my heart if you sell Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Rafael, Adnan, Blackett and Chris Smalling. They are all world class, take my word for that. They aren’t used to losing the way they are now. The fear of failure holds them back. Give them a long rope, and they’ll vindicate their faith in you. I don’t want what happened between Paul Pogba and me, or Gerard Pique and me, to happen to you. Maybe, you’ll have your own set of merry men, like Busby’s Babes or my Class of ’92. And, they’ll willingly share the burden on the shoulders of your so-called ‘Gaalacticos’.

Moyes never inspired any sense of hope or expectation in anyone. Part of that was my fault. I left him a young, raw team with unreal expectations placed on them. He didn’t have the conviction or aura that I did. You do. So, don’t worry. You will find what suits this team best before long. You have the brains, the acumen and the name to take our great club back to where they belong.

It might take time, you might see your name being tarnished, you might get abused verbally – but, ultimately, you have the chance to pick up a great team from the ashes. You have the chance to build a whole, new legacy, the chance to become immortal. Most importantly, you have the chance to make millions upon millions happy.

The Theatre of Dreams

Ours is a great club. We have the greatest fans in the world, fans who make our ground a real colosseum on matchdays – truly, a theatre of dreams. With them riding your sails, you’ll get back to winning ways before long. For form is temporary, while class is permanent. And, when you do, you’ll feel the admiration, adoration and love of millions of people all around the world.

It’s only a matter of time. The hard work is over; you have a team of champions again. Now, is the time to instil spirit and strength in them. Most importantly, now is the time to instil hope in them. For, “Hope is a good thing. Maybe, the best of things. And, no good thing ever dies”.

Yours Truly,

Alex Ferguson

Disclaimer: This letter is purely fictional and is just a figment of the author’s imagination.

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