Football
ESPN staff 8y

Ronald Koeman critical of Manchester United treatment of Louis van Gaal

Ronald Koeman has criticised Manchester United for their treatment of Louis van Gaal and praised his fellow Dutchman's dignity during the final months of his tenure at Old Trafford.

Although he wasn't officially dismissed until 48 hours later, news broke of Van Gaal's departure from United in the immediate aftermath of their FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace -- the club's first silverware in three seasons.

Koeman and Van Gaal haven't always seen eye-to-eye but on this matter the Southampton manager has defended his former Barcelona colleague.

"I have watched the process around Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho from a distance. For months we were all reading that Mourinho was busy with Manchester United," Koeman wrote in his column for De Telegraaf.

"If Louis was not told about getting the sack until after the FA Cup final, then Manchester United as a club don't deserve a medal for the way they treated him.

"If you know a little bit about the business at the highest level in football, then you know that these kind of deals are not done overnight. But Louis has been put under tremendous pressure for months. This is why I admire the way he kept his dignity.

"Of course, he had a number of run-ins with the media and there were moments when I thought 'Louis, you could have dealt with that in another way.' But Louis is Louis. Looking at the incredible pressure all around him, I think he did a great job winning a big trophy like the FA Cup."

Koeman is adamant next season's Premier League will be better than ever before with the arrival of Pep Guardiola, the return of Jose Mourinho and the success of Leicester all playing a large part in the division's allure.

"The best managers in the world have now come to the Premier League," he said. "With Guardiola starting his work at [Manchester] City, with Leicester inspiring so many other clubs that winning the league is possible, and every club financially strong enough to buy top-class players, the Premier League will prove that it is the most fascinating competition on the globe.

"The fact that guys like Mourinho and Guardiola want to work nowhere else makes it all more beautiful. This is the reason why I think it is fantastic to be part of English football. I find the intensity and the fact that the Premier League is totally unpredictable now amazing."

Koeman expects Leicester's success to serve as a wake-up call for sides like Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea who performed below the expected standard during the 2015-16 campaign.

"Leicester have made the impossible possible and that is the biggest of wake up calls for the big clubs. They will all need to react -- and we all know their budgets are almost unlimited," he added. "With Southampton, we beat every big club this season at least once. We only finished only three points behind Man City and Man United and we finished 13 points ahead of Chelsea. So we performed above the maximum of what people thought was possible.

"It is only going to be more exciting and competitive. Next season will be the most spectacular fans have ever witnessed."

^ Back to Top ^