Sport

Trial by Twitter: Reaction to Manchester United’s appointment of veteran manager Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal has been appointed as Manchester United manager after weeks of speculation following David Moyes’ sacking.  

The 62-year-old Dutchman will become the first United manager from outside the British Isles after agreeing to a three-year deal with the Old Trafford side.

MM looks at how Twitter reacted to the confirmation that Van Gaal will be in the dugout next season.

Having recently been denied an Old Trafford contract renewal, former Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand took to Twitter and said:

Former United defender and Gibraltar national skipper Danny Higginbotham was also positive about the move, while Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker also gave the appointment the thumbs up.

Fans reacted jubilantly to the news of the appointment and have high hopes that the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss can lead them back to former glories. 

One group who may be less welcoming of the Dutchman may be the press.

During several periods in his career, Van Gaal has had major spats with media personnel and is renowned for being a tricky customer to members of the press, for example in this old video.

Image courtesy of Press Association with thanks

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