By all accounts, Louis van Gaal toasted the close of the transfer window with a large glass of red wine at his holiday home in the Algarve. ‘My paradise in Portugal,’ as he likes to call it.
The Dutchman and his employers at Manchester United clearly feel it has been a good summer for the club.
Six new signings will be the exception rather than the norm from now on, and the world-record deal for teenager Anthony Martial pushed United’s spending well north of the £100million mark for the second year in a row.
Then there was the news that David de Gea will be staying at Old Trafford, albeit reluctantly, for the next nine months.
All in all, Van Gaal had every reason to be pleased with himself as he enjoyed his view over the Atlantic.
There was little chance, we are told, of him leaving the comfort of his villa and catching a short flight to Spain for a private chat with De Gea, who was mourning the collapse of his move to Real Madrid.
That is not Van Gaal’s style. He is not the arm-around-the-shoulder kind of guy and, at 64, the man they call the Iron Tulip is not for bending. ‘Louis does what Louis does,’ said one well-placed source.
It was one of the reasons United turned to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach last year; a big name with an experience of big clubs who would have little regard for reputations or egos.
But his hardline — some call it authoritarian — stance has brought its own problems during his first year at Old Trafford.
Falling out at a football club is commonplace, especially for Van Gaal, and particularly with players on the periphery. Worryingly for United, many of them have occurred with new signings he has brought in himself.
Getting players through the door is one thing. But getting along with them is another matter altogether, it seems. And once you cross him, it’s a long way back.
Van Gaal paid a British record £59.7m for Angel di Maria but the Argentinian lasted less than a year before departing for Paris Saint-Germain.
Earlier this week he admitted that ‘a couple of clashes’ had accelerated the deterioration of his relationship with the manager.
Radamel Falcao was signed on loan with wages of £280,000 a week but, by March, friends of the Colombian striker revealed how he had been reduced to tears by his treatment at the hands of Van Gaal.
Victor Valdes was brought in as a high-calibre back-up for De Gea but then banished to the reserves after Van Gaal claimed that he refused to play in an Under 21 game.
The Spanish contingent at United are said to be unhappy with the disrespect shown to a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona. Having seen a move to Besiktas fall through before the transfer window closed, Valdes was left out of United’s Champions League squad last night and is now in limbo.
Marcos Rojo has also been frozen out just a year after his £16m transfer from Sporting Lisbon following a serious disagreement with the Dutchman.
The Argentina centre back has not played this season since he was fined £140 000 for failing to appear on United’s pre-season tour of America due to passport issues. It is understood that Rojo was offered to Monaco as part of the deal to sign Martial.
Then there were the players Van Gaal inherited from the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Robin van Persie, supposed to be a close ally, claimed that he was ‘betrayed’ by his former Holland coach.
Javier Hernandez joined Bayer Leverkusen earlier this week, saying that he wants ‘to go back to feeling important and happy’. Almost his last act as a United player was to miss a penalty against Bruges last week, prompting Van Gaal to give his assistant Ryan Giggs a withering look on the bench.
Mexican legend Hugo Sanchez defended his countryman yesterday, saying: ‘Van Gaal is a scoundrel. Hopefully those in England realise he is a bad person and treats his players poorly.’
Right back Rafael da Silva also raised concerns over his treatment after leaving for Lyon, claiming that Van Gaal simply didn’t like him.
Adnan Januzaj departed on loan for Borussia Dortmund this week, having been criticised for giving the ball away too much in United’s victory at Aston Villa last month despite scoring the winning goal.
On the same night, Van Gaal shocked his squad by addressing captain Wayne Rooney on the team coach over his abject display at Villa Park.
But not all the great managers were popular with their players, and Van Gaal knows that.
As he makes the most of his time off in Portugal, the United boss will not be afraid of a little trouble in paradise. – Daily Mail