While van Gaal has proven himself as a world class manager, winning league titles in three different countries and scooping the Champions League with a young Ajax side, he is by no means perfect. His aforementioned rifts with players and the press are issues that United fans will have to contend with next season, while we should not expect the Dutchman to instantly solve all of our problems. There are no guarantees he will be a success - in his second spell as Barcelona manager, he endured a win percentage of just 53.33%, and left the Catalans just three points above the relegation zone in 2003. He returned to Ajax in 2004 as a technical director, but resigned later that year due to an internal conflict. His time at Bayern was also relatively underwhelming, and though he took the Germans to the 2010 Champions League final, he lost to Inter Milan. There is plenty of evidence of failings throughout van Gaal's career, and if he does end up at United, there are no certainties that it will be a successful stay.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
