5 things expected at Manchester United with Louis van Gaal's appointment

After over a month of speculations following David Moyes departure from Manchester United, it has finally been confirmed that current Holland manager, Louis van Gaal, will take charge at Old Trafford after fulfilling Hollands world cup commitments.The Dutchman is a strong character and has proved his credentials by winning trophies all over Europe and, therefore, is expected to make some wholesale changes to rejuvinate United who have undergone a disastrous campaign last year.Here we look at the top five things we can expect from Van Gaals appointment.

#1 Manchester United to regain their lost identity.

After a calamitous campaign under David Moyes where Uniteds tactics and approach play went back to the pre-historic times, Van Gaal will bring with him the much needed impetus and focus back on free-flowing, fast and possession based football, something which has been Uniteds identity for ever so long.

When asked recently what set him apart from other coaches, the former Bayern Munich manager said, Its my philosophy because it binds players with my training. Players find it nice to take part in it, because its attacking, technical and tactical. You have to play as a team and not as individuals.

You might well see United finally letting go of the 4-4-2/ 4-2-3-1 formation and employing a much flexible and attacking shape like the 4-3-3, 4-3-1-2 or 3-5-2.

#2 Louis van Gaal\'s appointment is long term thinking.

Although many might argue that van Gaal, who will turn 63 this August, is not an ideal long term replacement for David Moyes, but United’s boardroom might have played a masterstroke in keeping Ryan Giggs as his deputy and, thereby, having already thought beyond van Gaal’s three year contract.

United might have gone in for a young coach who would have kept the club’s ethos of stability in tact, but that would have brought the same risks as were associated with David Moyes’ appointment last year. The Old Trafford club is in a period of transition and they need someone as strong and as proven as van Gaal to re-build and transform them again to the pinnacle of English football.

Meanwhile, Ryan Giggs would relish to learn the tricks of the trade from the Dutchman and then later take on the main job for many more years to come once the newly appointed United manager decides to call it a day.

#3 Youngsters will keep on coming

Manchester United is for sure expected to dive deep into the transfer market and bring in a few quality players, but that should not restrict van Gaal’s – and United’s- philosophy of bringing through young players from the academy.

van Gaal has already proven that he is good at nurturing youth talent . During his time with Bayern Munich, he played a key role in promoting young players like Toni Kroos, David Alaba and Thomas Muller who have become world class today.

Also, previously with Ajax, he has contributed immensely in the growth of Dutch players like Patrick Kluivert and Edgar Davids who played a starring role in Ajax’s 1995 Champions League victory.

#4 Work rate, Motivation and Ruthlessness

These three things that defined Manchester United during Sir Alex’s reign were the major absentees from United’s campaign last year. The players lacked motivation to succeed, gave away easy victories to lesser known opponents in their own backyard and, as a result, felt obliged to work hard together as a team.

But with Louis van Gaal at the helm, one must expect anything but that. The Dutchman is a personality who demands respect and is someone who dosen’t let the standards drop even for a single second. His philosophy is either his way or the highway, something that was inherent in Sir Alex’s character as well.

Therefore, come the next season, expect United to come straight out of the blocks and fire again on all cylinders.

#5 Negative Criticism

With all the positives that the Dutchman will bring with him, there is one negative that is almost certain to follow him at Old Trafford.

Negative criticism from the media and the masses is something that Manchester United haven’t received in their history. But the appointment of Van Gaal, with his massive ego and shocking antics, will for sure open the door for exactly the same at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal is known to be someone who is very difficult to work with and has had several fallouts with players that he has managed, most noticeably with Luca Toni at Bayern Munich. His antics, too, like the incident where he took off his trousers in front of the entire Munich squad, will definitely warrant unwanted criticism at the club.

One of the major factors in overlooking Jose Mourinho, who is also known for his antics, after Sir Alex’s retirement was just to avoid that negative criticsm he would bring to a club, which takes great pride in their traditions that set them apart from other clubs.