Edwin Endorses van Gaal

Edwin van der Sar believes Louis van Gaal is a perfect fit for Manchester United and has backed his fellow Dutchman to bring the good times back to Old Trafford.

The Reds legend worked under van Gaal at Ajax in the 1990s and famously won three Eredivisie titles, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League. Having recently worked together again with the Dutch national team, van der Sar is certain of the 62-year-old’s qualities.

Speaking to MUTV, Edwin also explained why his former manager's philosophy for playing attacking football while blooding youngsters will undoubtedly impress Reds supporters.

"Louis van Gaal was my coach in the mid-90s with Ajax and we had a great period of success," Edwin explained. "He always had an eye for young players and making them better while, of course, combining that with the players the club had already. That’s something that I expect him to do at United.

"Van Gaal’s style is similar to the way United want to play and the way United need to play for the fans because of the club’s history. I am sure he is going to find a way in terms of tactics needed to reintroduce that style and maybe bring a little bit of emphasis on the Dutch style of football.

"We had success in Holland and then he went to Barcelona and won the league. He also took Bayern Munich to the Champions League final and, unfortunately, they beat us (United) along the way and went through in the quarter-finals at Old Trafford with Arjen Robben’s goal.

"But I think his success shows his mentality, his approach and his work-rate is very high and he is also determined to make this work. With the people he brings in, they are also very capable. The goalkeeping coach, Frans Hoek, developed me when I was a young player at Ajax."

Van der Sar has also tipped his cap towards the appointment of Ryan Giggs as van Gaal’s assistant, but as he admits, the Welshman’s retirement as a player was a sad moment for every football fan.

"It’s important to have a connection with the dressing room and with the soul of the club – the type of football that has to be played or the atmosphere," he added. "Ryan Giggs can really help there as assistant manager. That will help van Gaal settle into the Premier League because it’s not an easy league.

"I was a bit sad to hear about Giggsy retiring but I think everyone saw that coming and, besides, everything comes to an end. It happened for me, for Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and now Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have also left the club.

"But Ryan is still there and being assistant manager is a position that I am sure he can succeed in and fulfil his potential in the coming years. I’m sure there are many other players who are going to try to achieve even a little bit of what Ryan achieved at United.

"It’s an incredible amount of games that he played, the trophies he won as well. That is something that will never be forgotten and probably won’t be achieved again in the game."