Arsene Wenger hits out at Man United’s ‘disrespectful’ treatment of Louis van Gaal
Conflicting reports have suggested the Dutchman is set to lose his job at Old Trafford in the coming days while others say he may see out the season.
Only two weeks ago United said Van Gaal would be at the helm for the remainder of his contract, which expires at the end of next season. Since then the club have gone on a woeful run.
Van Gaal’s situation has come under intensified scrutiny since Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho last week — with many suggesting he would be the man to be installed as the immediate replacement should Van Gaal be ousted.
United have not won in six games and a home defeat to Norwich on Saturday was their third loss in succession, leaving them outside the Premier League top four after being knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.
The Red Devils travel to Stoke on St Stephen’s Day and it remains unclear if Van Gaal will be at the helm — but Arsenal boss Wenger, whose side outclassed United in a 3-0 win earlier in the season, believes past successes mean the former Netherlands coach should be given time to address the issues.
When asked if he could see Mourinho turning up at Old Trafford, Wenger replied: “I do not want to go into a world of speculation.
“I personally have a huge respect for Louis Van Gaal and I think what is going on there is disrespectful.
“This guy has worked for 30 years in football and has delivered unbelievable quality of work. I think it is a bit disrespectful what is going on there.
“I think a lot has been made on that (Mourinho’s departure), and I do not need to add anything.
“I do not want anyone to lose their job, my personal feelings on that front is that it is always sad when someone loses their job.”
The waters are clouded further by the fact Pep Guardiola has revealed he will be leaving his post at Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
He has been tipped to make a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea and Manchester City both heavily linked with the 44-year-old and the likes of United also likely to be interested, but Wenger feels he was wrong to make an announcement over his future at such an early stage.
“Personally I don’t like the fact that the managers come out so early for what they will do, because it’s not necessarily good for their own team, nor for the speculation about the managers who are going through a little bit of a difficult patch,” said Wenger.
“I think he is of course a top-quality manager, nobody would dispute that. Not so much for what he has won already, because Bayern won before, Barcelona still wins today. But I think about the positive attitude he has towards the game and the fact he wants his team to play football in a positive way. I respect that highly.”
Meanwhile, former Arsenal and West Brom full-back Don Howe has died, aged 80. Howe won 23 caps for England and was in the backroom staff of managers Ron Greenwood, Bobby Robson, and Terry Venables. He is also remembered for managing both the Gunners and the Baggies, as well as QPR and Turkish giants Galatasaray.
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson was thankful for Howe for allowing his Gunners career to get started and called him a trailblazer in the coaching game. He said: “He gave me a contract when a lot of people wouldn’t. He was so far ahead of his time it was scary. You talk about the Wengers and people like that, he was the best coach in the world of football, not just in England in the world of football. He was a phenomenal, phenomenal coach.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
