Louis van Gaal insisted he will take his time before naming his captain at Manchester United and promised to give all the players he inherited a chance to prove their worth to him in the coming weeks, reports ESPN FC. Speaking to the media for the first time as United boss, Van Gaal confirmed that Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw, the club’s first two summer signings, were already on the United wanted list before he accepted the challenge of taking over as manager.
The former Netherlands manager appears determined to allow the rest of the squad time to prove they can embrace his ideas he will bring to the job before making any additions to his lineup.
‘First I want to see the players performing to my philosophy,’ he said when asked about the possibility of fresh signings. ‘The owners and the CEO have a lot of confidence in me and because of that, they have come to me.
‘I explained my philosophy and they were excited. We have to wait and see if I can fulfill the expectations of these people and also the fans. When you see my career, you can see what I have won. The future shall show if I can do that again.’
Van Gaal turned in a typically polished performance in front of a packed news conference, as he was asked whether he had come to any conclusions on who would replace the departed Nemanja Vidic as United captain.
‘All the players are a possible candidate,’ he said when pondering who would claim the United armband. ‘I have to get to know them. I use four or five or six weeks. For me, the captain’s role is very important and therefore I need time.
‘Sometimes I didn’t have the time and then you make quick decisions, but quick decisions are not always good, so I use my time.’
Van Gaal was then asked what excited him about the task he was taking on as United boss and seemed to struggle to sum up what the United job meant to him.
‘It’s difficult to describe,’ he added. ‘I am now two days here. I have met a lot of people. When you see the kind of people who are loving the club, it is a big family. They expect a lot of me, they are very excited to meet me.
‘Can I fulfill that expectation? I think I can do, but because of the greatness of this club, it is much more difficult than at another club.
‘This club is also guided in a commercial way and we have to fulfill that also. That is not always possible to fulfill the commercial expectations and the football expectations. That is my big challenge, I think.’
-With New Age input
