It was always suggested that succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson as - TopicsExpress



          

It was always suggested that succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager would be the hardest job in football and it proved to be the case for David Moyes at Old Trafford last season. But with the Scot being sacked after guiding United to seventh place, their lowest-ever Premier League finish, Louis van Gaal has arguably landed the managers job at the perfect time, with Moyess failure making it almost impossible for the Dutchman to do any worse. Van Gaal has inherited a rebuilding job at United, but the early signs from the clubs pre-season tour of the United States point to a much-improved atmosphere and sense of belief and the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach appears already to have made the team competitive again. The intensity of the Premier League will quickly test Uniteds progress under Van Gaal and tell the manager whether his new 4-3-1-2 formation will work in England. But players who appeared to have no future at United, such as Ashley Young, Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley, have impressed in pre-season and displayed new-found confidence under Van Gaal to raise hopes of a title challenge. United have yet to replace the experience of the departed Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand, though, while the playing retirement of Ryan Giggs has also left the squad appearing light on maturity and proven quality. It will take more than the summer signings of Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera to lift United back to the top, but after a nightmare year under Moyes, progress, at least, appears to be being made at Old Trafford. Manager: Louis van Gaal. Best starting XI: De Gea, Evans, Jones, Smalling, Valencia, Young, Fletcher, Herrera, Mata, Van Persie, Rooney. Prediction: Will find it difficult to fight for the title, but do not expect United to miss out on the Champions League again. Transfers In: Luke Shaw (Southampton, £30m rising to £31m), Ander Herrera (Athletic Bilbao, £28.8m), Vanja Milinkovic (FK Vojvodina, Undisclosed). Out: Alexander Buttner (Dynamo Moscow, £4.4m rising to £5.6m), Patrice Evra (Juventus, £1.2m rising to £1.5m), Bebe (Benfica, £2.25m), Jack Barmby (Leicester City), Feredrico Macheda (Cardiff City), Nemanja Vidic (Inter Milan), Louis Rowley (Leicester City), Rio Ferdinand (Queens Park Rangers), Vanja Milinkovic (FK Vojvodina, Loan). Released: Sam Byrne, Ryan Giggs, Jack Rudge. Tickets • Cheapest: £31 (East/West Stand Lower) • Most Expensive: £53 (Sir Alex Ferguson Stand Tier 1/South Stand upper Centre Same prices for all Premier League and FA cup tickets. Cheapest seats found in the Lower East and West Stands. Ticket Office Number 0161 868 8000 Fixtures August: 16 Swansea (h) 12.45, BT Sport; 24 Sunderland (a) 4.0, Sky Sport; 30 Burnley (a) 12.45, BT Sport September: 14 QPR (h) 4.0, Sky Sport; 21 Leicester (a) 1.30, Sky Sports; 27 West Ham (h) 3.0, Setanta Sports October: 5 Everton (h) 12.0, BT Sport; 20 West Brom (a) 8.0, Sky Sports; 26 Chelsea (h) 4.0, Sky Sports November: 2 Man City (a) 13.30, Sky Sport; 8 Crystal Palace (h) 3.0, Setanta Sports; 22 Arsenal (a) 5.30, Sky Sports; 29 Hull (h) 3.0 December: 2 Stoke (h) 7.45; 6 Southampton (a) 3.0; 13 Liverpool (h) 3.0; 20 Aston Villa (a) 3.0; 26 Newcastle (h) 3.0; 28 Tottenham (a) 3.0 January: 1 Stoke (a) 3.0; 10 Southampton (h) 3.0; 17 QPR (a) 3.0; 31 Leicester (h) 3.0 February: 7 West Ham (a) 3.0; 10 Burnley (h) 7.45; 21 Swansea (a) 3.0; 28 Sunderland (h) 3.0 March: 4 Newcastle (a) 7.45; 14 Tottenham (h) 3.0; 21 Liverpool (a) 3.0 April: 4 Aston Villa (h) 3.0; 11 Man City (h) 3.0; 18 Chelsea (a) 3.0; 25 Everton (a) 3.0 May: 2 West Brom (h) 3.0; 9 Crystal Palace (a) 3.0; 16 Arsenal (h) 3.0; 14 Hull (a) 3.0 - See more at: independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/premier-league-countdown-all-you-need-to-know-about-manchester-united-30502423.html#sthash.jhXz1Sq4.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 13:03:50 +0000

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