Man Utd need a technical director, not a banker - Van Gaal criticises club structure

Will Kent

Man Utd need a technical director, not a banker - Van Gaal criticises club structure image

Louis van Gaal has criticised the structure of Manchester United and claims even Sir Alex Ferguson had "problems" with the way the club was run.

Van Gaal announced his retirement from management  earlier this month, with his last job being in the hot seat for United between 2014 and 2016. 

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He took over from David Moyes and was given the task of restoring the Manchester club back to the glory days of which they enjoyed under Ferguson.

The Scotsman won an incredible 38 trophies with United, but Van Gaal could manage just one during his stint at Old Trafford.

During his time in charge of the Red Devils, the Dutchman guided the club to an FA Cup triumph in 2016.

However, he wasn't able to mount a serious title charge with the club finishing fourth and fifth under his management in the Premier League.

Van Gaal was then relieved of his duties at the club in May 2016 following his FA triumph, paving the way for Jose Mourinho to take over at the side.

And the 67-year-old believes his failings at the side was partly down to the current structure in place at the club along with their focus on commercial targets rather than footballing objectives.

"At the moment there is a structure with a scouting division and above that is someone at (Ed) Woodward's right hand," Van Gaal told BBC Sport .

"The structure is not so bad but the right hand has to be a technical director with a football view, not somebody with a banker's role.

"Unfortunately, we are talking about a commercial club, not a football club. I spoke to Ferguson about this and in his last years, he also had problems with it."

United appear revitalised under current interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with the club having lost just one of 13 Premier League fixtures under his guidance.

They also advanced to the last eight of the Champions League after eliminating Paris Saint-Germain from the competition during the round-of-16 stage.

The club's next fixture is against Watford on March 30 in the Premier League before a tie against Wolves on April 2.

Will Kent