Rene Meulensteen explains why David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho failed at Man United
In the latest excerpt from Rene Meulensteen's autobiography, Rene Meulensteen: United, Sir Alex And Me, the former Manchester United assistant coach reflects on a difficult period for the club
Replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United was always going to be a struggle, but few would have anticipated five permanent head coaches - plus two interim bosses - coming and going in the nine years between the Scot's exit and Erik ten Hag's appointment.
David Moyes was selected by Ferguson himself to take over in 2013, having consistently impressed during an 11-year spell at Everton. But the pressure of expectation was massive and he lasted just 11 months.
Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho would both surpass the two-year mark but neither can be labelled an undisputed success. They brought trophies to Old Trafford but could not reignite the feeling of togetherness that was present under Ferguson.
Rene Meulensteen had been working as the Scot's assistant for six years before leaving in June 2013 as Moyes brought in his own coaching staff. The Dutchman knew everything about United but was forced to watch on from a distance as the club experienced a disappointing period.
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“Manchester United experienced a difficult transition in the spell after Sir Alex’s retirement. I believe managers need 18 months to really see the value of their work pay off and to create consistency.
“Unfortunately for David Moyes he seemed to be moving in the wrong direction from the beginning by disrupting the continuity and stability.
“I believe David should have been given some more time, but I also believe he needed help and advice to manage a club and squad of such magnitude.
“The only thing I and the others wanted was to help David. People say we were an ageing team, but I guarantee you that if Sir Alex had carried on, we would’ve made some good signings and we would’ve been there or thereabouts.
“David was succeeded by Louis van Gaal and I didn’t feel it was the right choice from the start. I haven’t worked with him so I can’t speak about that, but I do know he was a very polarising leader. Lots of players loved him. Many did not.
“I did feel he would struggle if he hadn’t sufficiently analysed the Premier League, because he’s so regimented in his own way that he would inevitably make it Van Gaal United and not Manchester United.
“He would play possession-based football like he has done everywhere else – but the Premier League is so dynamic that such a playing style doesn’t work if you can’t be versatile.
“Jose Mourinho had coveted the job for a long time. It seemed to me that Mourinho was surprised by just how big United was. I think he struggled with the expectation that was on United to win and play an attractive style of attacking football because he’s a pragmatic calculator.
“You must embrace unpredictability and emotion at Old Trafford, and he struggled in that respect to find a good balance.
“The way he conducted himself in press conferences seemed strange. He was representing the biggest club in the world. What a privilege. You want to show your pride at being in that position. At times it looked as though it was a burden for him to be Manchester United’s manager.
“The spotlight at Manchester United can be very difficult for some people to embrace. If you win and you don’t play well, you keep most of the supporters onside because you’re competing.
“But if you’re not playing well and you’re not winning – and you have a manager who is quite happy to court controversy – it can all fall apart very quickly.”
Rene Meulensteen: United, Sir Alex And Me, published by Reach Sport £18.99, is on sale August 10th from Amazon and all good book shops.
