United losing touch with the Class of ’92
MANCHESTER United are close to losing the remaining members of the Class of ’92 from the coaching structure of the club as Louis van Gaal makes plans for next season as manager.
While the club insist that Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville will all be offered roles under Van Gaal, who last week confirmed Ryan Giggs as his assistant, it is understood that Scholes, who has already said publicly that he does not expect to be at United, is unlikely to accept.
Nicky Butt already has a job with the Under-21s, though it has yet to be confirmed that he will continue in that role next season, having stepped up to help the first team when David Moyes was sacked, while Phil Neville is also unlikely to accept a post without a clear role.
None of the three old boys has been contacted by United executive chairman Ed Woodward to clarify their position in the past week, although the club are comfortable that given their close relationship with Giggs, they are kept abreast of developments.
Until Van Gaal and Giggs settle on a coaching team the club maintain it is difficult to specify the exact roles the three might take, though United and Van Gaal are keen to retain them.
Scholes, who would want a clearly defined job rather than a general coaching role, is likely to turn his attention to Salford City, the Northern Premier League club the players purchased last season along with Giggs and Gary Neville. All three are understood to have been frustrated by the lack of communication from United over their futures.
Woodward and Van Gaal now have to deliver on the summer transfer plans, though Van Gaal’s focus will inevitably be largely on his plans for the World Cup as Holland coach. United were close to signing Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos for this summer, with former manager Moyes and Woodward having put in considerable work to ensure he would come to the club. However, Van Gaal is not minded to pursue the Germany midfielder. With Southampton left-back Luke Shaw already lined up for £27million, United will make a move for Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund and Germany centre-half, who will cost £30m, though the transfer is unlikely to be concluded until after the World Cup.
Hummels is the one signing on which Van Gaal will insist, though he also recognises the need to strengthen in midfield. Roma’s Kevin Strootman, who was key in Van Gaal’s Holland teams, will be added, although probably not until January, as his cruciate knee ligament injury means he will not be able to prove his fitness before then.
Van Gaal is expected to turn his attention to Daley Blind, the Ajax captain and a part of his World Cup team. Blind, 24, the son of ex-Ajax star Danny, can play at left-back or holding midfield.
Van Gaal and Woodward will have to move quickly to avoid the mistakes of last summer, when transfer dealing was put on hold until Moyes started the job officially in July. Van Gaal is unlikely to be available to work full-time until early July, when Holland’s participation in the World Cup is over.
With significant key players mo longer in the squad — Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs — there is an urgent need to bolster the experience and strength of the squad, which is why the club will pay what is required to bring in Hummels.
Woodward will be under pressure to deliver for Van Gaal after last year’s dreadful summer, when United missed out on key targets like Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Leighton Baines and Ander Herrera, before launching a last-minute rush to sign Marouane Fellaini for £27.5m, with the former Everton player proving a huge disappointment.
Woodward’s performance last summer was criticised severely and it remains to be seen if United have the executive structure capable of landing their first-choice targets. With Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill no longer having day-to-day involvement and Mike Bolingbroke, the chief operating officer, moving to Inter Milan, Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold now have a huge range of responsibilities.
Van Gaal’s contacts in European football will help Woodward, which is why there is confidence Hummels will be secured, and why Blind and Strootman should be obtainable.
Fabregas, who United thought they could sign last summer, is now available, with Barcelona ready to let him go, though Van Gaal has not yet indicated he wants the player.
Other potential midfield targets include Javi Martinez, who wants to leave Bayern, but Ilkay Gundogan, the midfielder most of Europe’s top sides, including United, have been keen to sign despite a long-term injury last season, recently penned a new deal at Borussia Dortmund.