Former Manchester United chief executive David Gill has criticised Louis van Gaal for underachieving at the club, despite investing heavily since taking over the reins from David Moyes.
Currently a Director at the club, Gill asked for ‘attacking football’ at Old Trafford as he expressed his disappointment with Manchester United’s ‘season of underachievement’.
David Gill retired from his position as the chief executive at the club following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. As reported by The Guardian, he spoke about his disappointment with United’s performance as he called for ‘attacking’ football at the club.
What we did in the past was great
Speaking about Manchester United’s history of playing attractive football, David Gill made it clear that he wasn’t impressed with Louis van Gaal’s philosophy at the club.
“I don’t want to talk about quality [of football] – but I’m not going to sit here and say it’s that attractive. For me, what we did in the past was great – you’ve got to have the players to do that.
“We want attacking football I’m sure that will be a key part going forward.”
Haven’t got the results despite the hefty investment
David Gill’s comments can be read as a scathing attack against Louis van Gaal’s reign at the club. The former chief executive claimed that United’s performances have been disappointing, especially since the club invested more than £250m following the Dutchman’s appointment in 2014.
“Clearly we all hope the results will be better – everyone’s disappointed, I feel as much as non-executive director as a fan.
“[This is] undoubtedly a season of underachievement. I think everyone would agree with that given the investment that was made.”
David Gill’s comments come at a time when Louis van Gaal’s position at Manchester United is in considerable danger. The team was booed following their 1-0 defeat against Southampton at Old Trafford, with fans making their displeasure audible. The Dutchman has also been criticied for his ‘boring’ style of football with fans often egging his side on to ‘attack’ the opposition.
23 games into the season, Manchester United have only scored 28 Premier League goals while conceding 21 themselves. This means that in terms of scoring goals, Manchester United rank in the bottom half in the league, with only 8 other teams scoring fewer goals than Louis van Gaal’s men.
These 8 team includes Stoke City (24), Watford (27), Crystal Palace (24), West Bromwich (22), Bournemouth (27), Swansea City (20), Newcastle United (25) and Aston Villa (18).
