Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal wasn’t impressed with one journalist in particular over the weekend, as he gave him a gentle slap on the face.
It came after the Dutch tactician was asked about the possibility of signing former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, who recently saw his contract terminated at Roma by mutual consent.
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Based on his reaction, he was obviously unimpressed by the question as he reminded the journalist that the former England international “hasn’t played for a year”.
While the slap was undoubtedly intended in jest rather than being anything malicious, it probably didn’t thrill the journalist in question too much to have the United boss place his hands on him.
Nevertheless, Van Gaal will have other things to worry about in the coming days and weeks as he returned from the Netherlands on Tuesday after celebrating his daughter’s birthday to prepare his side for their FA Cup clash with Derby County on Friday night.
Following on from their home defeat to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, the former Ajax boss has come under further scrutiny and has faced a significant backlash from supporters regarding his continued tenure at the club.
As noted by The Express, the 64-year-old’s future has been discussed as the club hierarchy continue to evaluate the team’s slide down the league which sees them now sit five points adrift of the final Champions League qualification spot.
Van Gaal will therefore be desperate to turn things around as soon as possible not only for the benefit of the club but also for his own individual ambitions, and that will have to start against Derby.
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