Last week it was announced that Manchester United had appointed Louis van Gaal on a 3-year contract, and the two men Van Gaal decided to bring to Old Trafford were goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek and assistant coach and opposition scout Marcel Bout. But what impact could these Dutchmen have in restoring the Red Devils back to their former glory?
- By Harry Taylor
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Van Gaal’s appointment as Manchester United manager has created a new feeling of excitement, that has begun to run through the veins of the Old Trafford faithful. The great man’s overwhelming presence along with his mightily impressive CV is enough to reinstate new belief that the glory days may well be coming back under this Dutchman’s regime. However as every world class manager knows, it takes more than a man himself to achieve success, you need a cohesive team that can trust one another, and are all willing to work towards the same goal – to win!
The 62 year-old has taken the necessary actions that he believes will take the club back to the top of the premier league table, he has brought with him goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek and assistant coach Marcel Bout. Both of these men have worked with Van Gaal throughout their careers, in fact at every club Van Gaal has worked at he has had at least one of these two coaches working alongside him, showing how much faith and admiration he has in these men. So Louis van Gaal undoubtedly thinks that they have the capabilities to take Manchester United forward, but why?
Firstly, let’s start off with Frans Hoek, the new goalkeeping coach of Manchester united, Hoek has been a coach for the best part of 28 years, showing he has the experience required to work at the highest level. He is a world renowned goalkeeping coach that has enjoyed so much success that his own style of coaching is known within the game as the ‘Hoek Method’, which has been imitated by many top coaches. Hoek trains, advises and lectures for FIFA, UEFA and the KNVB, also in the past he previously advised Manchester United as well as the Danish FA and LA Galaxy, showing he is a well-respected coach in his trade.
The Dutchman’s brilliant coaching skills have enabled him to bring through some of the best goalkeepers of past and current generations, players such as Van der Sar, Victor Valdes and Jerzy Dudek just to name a few. His record speaks for himself proving he is capable of creating world-class keepers. Hoeks appointment will benefit David De Gea immensely, Hoek will get the best out of De Gea and as the young Spaniard is full of raw talent, Frans Hoek may just be the man to turn him into a club legend.
Here’s what Edwin van der Sar had to say about Frans Hoek:
“He groomed me and helped me learn all the things I needed to know to be a successful footballer over a lot of years,”
“He should be a great help for David (De Gea)”
The other part of this dynamic duo that Van Gaal has brought to Manchester is Marcel Bout, the 51 year-old Dutchman has been named as the assistant coach, specialising in opposition scouting. Bout is a coach of the highest calibre, having achieved great success wherever he has been. He has worked at prestigious clubs such as Feyenoord, Bayern Munich and been a part of the Netherlands youth set-up. His most successful spell was during his time in Munich where he was part of Jupp Heynckes treble winning side. The Dutchman has also managed to achieve success when working with smaller clubs, most notably when he was working alongside Van Gaal at AZ Alkmaar, he was part of the staff that made Alkmaar champions, breaking the oligarchy between Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord.
The appointment of this Dutch trio is a step in the right direction for the Red Devils, having three world-class coaches in your setup and not to mention club icon Ryan Giggs involved will ensure that the club get the absolute best out of their players. However the club need more than world-class coaches to win the league, they need to bring in some highly skilled players so Van Gaal can put his plans into action as soon as possible and get England’s most successful club back on their throne, where many believe they belong to be.
Great article.
But as a liverpool fan, I hope Van Gaal’s United resurrection is painful and short-lived 😉