Ex-Reds Greet van Gaal

A host of former Manchester United players have welcomed the appointment of Louis van Gaal and tipped the Dutchman to become a huge success at the Theatre of Dreams.

The 62-year-old Netherlands boss will take charge after this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, picking up the managerial reigns ahead of the highly-anticipated 2014/15 campaign. Already, several club legends have saluted the Dutchman’s arrival…

Edwin van der Sar: “Fantastic opportunity for both United and Louis van Gaal to connect their qualities in this crazy World of football. All the best in the UK! Interesting to see which youth players he will bring through in the next years combining them with current squad and new signings.”

Rio Ferdinand: "Good luck to Louis Van Gaal as the new manager of Manchester United. Also to Ryan Giggs as No 2. Hope they get United back to the top where we belong."

Ray Wilkins: “I am sure Robin van Persie has told the lads what type of manager he is. He will walk in with the upmost respect from everybody but they have got to hit the ground running… I shared a cab with him once for about 20 minutes. We were going to an airport and if I said three words then I was talking a hell of a lot. He is an extremely confident guy and I have no qualms whatsoever that he will do a good job at Old Trafford.”

David May: “It is a great appointment. He has won trophies all over Europe in Spain, Germany and Holland and hopefully he will at Old Trafford. It is a big job, of course it is. There are three or four players who are going to leave and he has got to replace them with quality. It is a big job but I am really looking forward to it.”

Lee Martin: “He has experience and has won things wherever he has been, winning the Champions League and titles at big clubs like Bayern Munich and Barcelona. This is a very similar club to those two. He will know what it takes to carry this club forward. He will have a plan set-out and I think it is a great acquisition for us. He is a strong character and I think that is what we need now. We need somebody to come in who is not frightened of players. He will set everything out and won’t be afraid of giving them a rollicking in the dressing room. It is a positive move and I am pleased.”

Andy Ritchie: “Attacking football is what we have been brought up on. Even when I was playing, we played with two wingers, we went at teams and we attacked all the time. That is what he likes to do, while getting his teams set up well defensively. It will be interesting to see who he brings in because I am sure he will have his players noted and who he wants to go for. I think we will see a really expansive type of play when he comes in.”

Lou Macari: “It is a good decision to appoint Ryan Giggs [as Assistant Manager] because he is somebody who knows about the players and hopefully will advise van Gaal in the right way. He has worked with most of them, he knows their strengths, he knows their weaknesses and I am sure that Ryan will inform the new manager about what he thinks of certain players, who should stay and more importantly who should go. It’s a good appointment and let’s hope the partnership works.”