Louis van Gaal responds to speculation over management return amid health battle

26 September 2023 , 07:15

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Louis van Gaal recently left his role with the Dutch side (Image: PA)

Louis van Gaal has ruled out a return to club management as he continue his health battle.

The Dutchman has been coaching top tier sides for the best part of 30 years, most recently leading the Netherlands at the World Cup last year. Van Gaal has revealed he battled prostate cancer and received treatment whilst he was in charge of his homeland.

He's been out of a job since leaving the Dutch set-up and there has been talk of him taking up a role at Ajax once again. Van Gaal put himself on the map when he claimed the Champions League with the Amsterdam outfit in the mid 1990s, but has ruled out a return to the fold.

Van Gaal told NOS : "My health comes first. I don’t like being a coach at a club anymore." His comments come amid major issues at Ajax, whose own fans began throwing tear gas onto the pitch of their own stadium as their side trailed to rivals Feyenoord on Sunday.

The match will now be completed behind closed doors and Ajax sit 14th in the league, ten points off leaders PSV after just weeks into the new season. The club sacked Sven Mislintat as their director of football on Sunday evening and Rafael van der Vaart talked up a return for Van Gaal.

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The former midfielder said: "Louis is, of course, the ideal man for Ajax. His hands are itchy. This club needs clarity. If anyone likes clarity, it’s Louis. I would not be surprised if within the next few days they seriously consider reaching out to him. You could give him that, because he really wants the best for Ajax."

Louis van Gaal's last club job was at Man Utd (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Van Gaal did keep the door open to a return to international management, which doesn't have the day-to-day demands that come with taking charge at a club.

His role at Manchester United remains his last club job, which he left in 2016 after being sacked following success in the FA Cup. He had two years at Old Trafford having arrived with a big reputation but failed to take the club forward as many expect amid criticism over his playing style.

Prior to that he'd taken the Netherlands to the last four of the World Cup in 2014 and also led Bayern Munich to the Champions League final in 2010, winning several honours whilst at the Allianz Arena. Van Gaal can also lay claim to an impressive Eredivisie triumph with AZ Alkmaar in 2009.

Samuel Meade