Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal’s spell at the club ended with a FA Cup win in 2016, but overall it was a spell which underwhelmed. Louis van Gaal’s managerial tactics may never have worked out, at times there was a lot to be desired. There was also a lot to like, with his willingness to bring through academy talent. The area Van Gaal was let down was in the transfer market, failing to land many top targets.....CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE
Sadio Mane, Ngolo Kante and Riyad Mahrez were all players the manager wanted to sign.
Another player who Van Gaal made an ambitious play for was then Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling.
‘Manchester United make their move for Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling’ – was The Telegraph’s headline back on May 20, 2015.
Sensing Raheem Sterling’s unhappiness at Liverpool, Van Gaal launched what was described as a ‘daring inquiry’ for the 20-year-old winger.
Liverpool immediately rejected the advances and insisted they would ‘never do business with Manchester United’.
The Guardian followed up in June 2015 with ‘Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling considering Manchester United move’, claiming the winger was keen to work alongside Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal felt Sterling was perfect for his preferred attacking formation and felt he could develop the young winger.
United were prepared to increase Sterling’s wages, but the history between the two clubs meant a deal did not stand a chance of getting off the ground.
Liverpool eventually relented to Sterling’s desire to quit, unhappily sanctioning a £49 million move in early July 2015, allowing him to join Manchester City.
This ended up backfiring more on Liverpool than had they sold Sterling to United. The winger ended up enjoying title success under Pep Guardiola, at their expense.
Meanwhile United continued to get it wrong, with Ed Woodward pulling the strings. Even if Van Gaal had got his man, it’s unlikely it would have translated to title wins, sadly.
In late summer 2024, Raheem Sterling finds himself linked with a surprise move to Manchester United.
Conversations are being had between Manchester United and Chelsea over a swap deal involving Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho, The Telegraph report.
Sterling, 29, is a proven player at this level. He also has a point to prove after his shoddy treatment at Chelsea.
He performed poorly at Chelsea at times last season, yet still managed to score 10 goals. Even in his best year at Manchester United, Jadon Sancho has not touched double figures.
Sancho has been a washout at United over the past 12 months and no supporter would be unhappy to let him go.
A swap deal for Sterling feels unnecessary, especially considering the expensive wages he may demand. Yet there appears to be a little momentum gathering behind this surprise move.
If a deal does come off, Louis van Gaal may be watching on from afar with intrigue.
