For all his managerial success, van Gaal does not have a history as someone who sticks around long enough to build long-term legacies at his clubs. The longest he has stayed at a managerial post was in his first job at Ajax, where he remained for just under six years. Barcelona had him for a year and a half first time around and just under seven months in his second stint, while Holland had him for a year and a half first time and will see him depart after two years this time. He managed a respectable four years at AZ Alkmaar, but was sacked after less than two years during his time at Bayern Munich when he failed to replicate the success of his first season. Having employed the same manager for over a quarter of a century until last season, United are a club very much driven by the idea of creating legacies. It's almost certainly why Ryan Giggs will stay on at the club as van Gaal's assistant and why such value is placed on bringing youngsters through to the first team. Van Gaal certainly has the credentials to do the latter, as Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller at Bayern Munich would attest, but whether his own legacy will be anything other than steadying the ship before Ryan Giggs' seemingly inevitable takeover remains to be seen. One of Van Gaal's most noteworthy strengths is as a team builder, but whether he'll stick around long enough to see his team achieve their full potential remains to be seen. He's only ten years younger than Sir Alex after all, and even if everything goes well, United fans should be wary of the fact that this is a man whose average time at a club comes out at slightly less than two and a half years. Ryan Giggs may not have as long as he'd like to learn his trade.
28-year old English writer with a borderline obsessive passion for films, videogames, Chelsea FC, incomprehensible words and indefensible puns. Follow me on Twitter if you like infrequent outbursts of absolute drivel.
