Louis van Gaal has slammed Manchester United’s transfer strategy during his time at the club, with a club that boasted an annual turnover of £600 million ($736m) failing to land any of the targets he asked for.
The Dutch tactician was taken to Old Trafford in the summer of 2014, with the Red Devils turning to a proven performer on the back of their failed David Moyes experiment.
Van Gaal would spend two seasons in English football before being ushered through the exit to make way for Jose Mourinho.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss claims struggles to rekindle a spark at United were not entirely his fault, with little assistance offered to him.
Having inherited an ageing squad, Van Gaal was eager to freshen up his ranks with a number of exciting additions.
He was prevented from doing that by those behind the scenes, with more expected from a supposedly ambitious club with a rich history and more than enough money in the bank.
Van Gaal told Voetbal International of his frustrations, with the Red Devils forced to pay over the odds for those way down their wish list: “Manchester United did not have the qualities to become champions and had an outdated selection with 10 players over 30, five over 35.
“So I told them I was going to rejuvenate and which players should come. I didn’t get one of those.
“Then you end up in a different segment and as a coach you have to push your boundaries. You don’t expect that at the richest club in the world.
“A turnover of £600 million and can’t buy the players you need. You should buy number one and not number seven.
"Of course, the selling club also thinks: ‘If you are so rich, you also have to pay the highest amount imaginable for a player’. That was what happened with transfers.
“Then you have to do with the numbers seven or eight on your wish list. For which you actually pay way too much money, on which the coach is judged and convicted.”
He added: “I am an optimist. You have to disappoint me more than once if I want to close the door. Everyone gets a second chance with me.
“Despite those disappointments, Manchester United did win the FA Cup. Manchester United has actually been the greatest achievement of my career
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