Manchester United manager made quit threat on Boxing Day after shock defeat

Louis van Gaal is remembered for his disciplinarian and often unorthodox approach to management, but he was also the master of ambiguity.

The legendary coach was a successful but intriguing figure whose managerial career spanned 29 years.

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But it was 23 years into his coaching career before Van Gaal got his first taste of the Premier League and fans were able to get a close up of the enigmatic Dutchman.

And it was befitting that Manchester United was the setting, just three years after the exit of another master of mindgames in Alex Ferguson.

Van Gaal was an imposing figure and one who quickly established the ground rules while instilling a fear factor in those who crossed his path – including the media.

But that didn’t always work in his favour and a seven-match winless run compounded by the Boxing Day defeat at Stoke in 2015 saw the Dutchman threaten to quit as Manchester United boss during a post-match interview.

United slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Stoke – their fourth loss in a row following earlier slip-ups against Norwich, Bournemouth and Wolfsburg which saw them dumped out of Champions League group stage.

The manner of the defeat left a lot to be desired and pressure was being ramped up on Van Gaal, who succeeded David Moyes as United boss in 2014.

But with the media rubbing their hands together, the cunning Van Gaal played his own trump card to maintain control of his own destiny.

The then 64-year-old was asked whether he feared being sacked in the face of a woeful run of form.

Staying in control

“It is not always the club that has to fire or sack me,” the Dutchman replied, insinuating that he might choose to walk away first.

“Sometimes I do that by myself, but I am the one who wants to speak first with the board of Manchester United and my members of staff and my players, not with you.”

Van Gaal repeated that the club had always given him their backing but his side’s most recent defeat may have changed things.

“We have lost so there is a new situation,” he added. “I feel the support of my players and my board. The fans will be disappointed but that is logical after four defeats.”

Van Gaal was asked his thoughts on why the then Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward had not publicly backed him during the winless run and amid the scrutiny over his future.

“For me it’s much more important that people are saying that to me,” he said. “I am not so interested in public sayings.”

Pressed further on the speculation over his future, Van Gaal added: “I don’t think that is interesting what they [the headlines] do to me.

“I have said they have to stick by the facts. The scrutiny is all right for me, I’m used to that. You have to stick by the facts and not rubbish.”

A huge call

If the defeat wasn’t enough to contend with then Van Gaal’s decision to drop captain Wayne Rooney created a huge talking point.

Rooney was introduced as a second-half substitute in place of Memphis Depay but struggled to rally his troops to a comeback.

It was a huge call for the under-pressure United boss to drop a below-par Rooney, who had scored just twice in the league up until that point.

Van Gaal said: “I thought it was the right decision, otherwise I would not have done it.

“We were better in the second half but then we didn’t have anything to lose.”

The final script in Van Gaal’s tenure could not have been written any better.

While United failed to secure Champions League football after finishing fifth in the table, Van Gaal led his side to FA Cup triumph with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

It proved to be his final act as manager as he was sacked two days later.