Hindsight may be 20/20 but that won't make Ed Woodward feel any better for the statement he made about Louis Van Gaal's footballing philosophy upon unveiling the Dutchman as Manchester United's new manager in 2014.
Executive vice-chairman Woodward has today sacked Van Gaal, who leaves United having won the FA Cup only two days ago, yet the Dutchman's two years of stifling, mind numbing football and failure to qualify for next season's Champions League left Woodward with no choice but to dismiss the former Ajax and Barcelona manager. Yet such a slow, monotonous brand of football was not what Woodward was expecting two years ago, as evidenced by this now infamous quote:
"He's got incredible energy and very importantly he likes attacking football."
"If you remember the Barcelona team he managed in the late 90s, they played incredible, attacking football, and those games we had against them in 98/99, that's the kind of football Manchester United fans love. It's part of our DNA.
Advert
"He's going to deliver exactly what we expect him to deliver."
Oh dear, Ed. Maybe keep quiet when unveiling Jose Mourinho, this week?
(H/T The Mirror)
Topics: ed woodward, Louis van Gaal, Football, Manchester United