Louis van Gaal delivers scathing Manchester United transfer verdict as Liverpool comparison made

Louis van Gaal delivers scathing Manchester United transfer verdict as Liverpool comparison made

Latest Manchester United news and rumours as former manager Louis van Gaal delivers his verdict on the club's transfer approach

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal (Image: Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images) )

Ex-Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has delivered a scathing assessment of the club’s transfer strategy, urging them to take note of how their rivals conduct their business.

The Dutchman was United’s second permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, succeeding David Moyes in the summer of 2014. He lasted just two years in the role, winning the FA Cup before being dismissed in 2016.

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Since then, United have struggled to re-establish themselves as a stable force, cycling through multiple managers in the years following Van Gaal’s departure. Even last season, the club made another change, replacing Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim midway through the campaign.

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In an effort to bounce back from a dismal end to the 2024/25 season - marked by a Europa League final defeat to Tottenham and a disappointing 15th-place finish in the Premier League - United have already stepped up their transfer activity. Matheus Cunha has arrived from Wolves, and the club are also reportedly hopeful of securing a deal for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, despite recent competition from Tottenham.

However, Van Gaal remains unconvinced by their approach. The 73-year-old insists that it should be the manager driving transfer decisions and drew comparisons with United’s rivals Liverpool, suggesting the club would do well to pay closer attention to how others operate.

"It is still a commercial club, not a football club," the Dutchman said in an interview with Sky Sports. "It's always difficult when the manager is not deciding which players have to come.

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"I think it's the way it should be [that the manager picks the players], then you can fire a manager if he doesn't produce any results. But when other people buy the players, then you have a problem.

"You need to have the knowledge of the manager because he has to train them. It should always be like that. Arne Slot is the man who says to his technical director that he needs to buy this player. Pay attention to it."

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