Van Gaal claims Man City's financial breaches were deciding factor in his Man Utd sacking

Louis van Gaal has directly linked Manchester City’s financial misconduct to his sacking as Manchester United manager in 2016, arguing that City’s fourth-place finish — which pushed United into fifth and out of the Champions League — was “the deciding factor” in his dismissal.

Van Gaal lasted two seasons at Old Trafford, winning the FA Cup in his final game against Crystal Palace, only to be dismissed 24 hours later with José Mourinho confirmed as his replacement. The immediate cause was United’s league collapse from December onwards, which left them level on points with City but behind on goal difference after losing at West Ham in the penultimate fixture of the campaign.

“For me, at the time, that was probably the deciding factor in my dismissal from Manchester United and all the consequences and suffering this entailed,” Van Gaal told The Athletic.

His frustration has been compounded by City’s guilty verdict on 114 financial rule breaches covering the period from 2009 to 2018 — a span that includes the 2015/16 season in which they pipped United to fourth. City have appealed the verdict, but Van Gaal is dismissive of what any outcome can change for him personally. “I cannot turn back history now,” he said. “Not even the English Football Association can.”

Despite his grievance, United’s fate in that campaign was largely of their own making. They took four points from their two league meetings with City that season — drawing at Old Trafford before Marcus Rashford, then a teenager on debut, scored the only goal in a win at the Etihad — but squandered a position that was theirs to control in the final weeks.

Van Gaal departed having won 54 of his 103 matches in charge, a 52 per cent win rate. He had joined in the summer of 2014 as the second permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, replacing David Moyes, and guided United back into the top four in his first season before failing to repeat that finish.