Louis van Gaal on Saturday sought to temper expectations among Manchester United fans excited about his impending arrival at Old Trafford after the Netherlands ended their World Cup campaign on a high.
Brasilia: Louis van Gaal on Saturday sought to temper expectations among Manchester United fans excited about his impending arrival at Old Trafford after the Netherlands ended their World Cup campaign on a high.
Holland ran out convincing 3-0 winners against hosts Brazil in the third-place play-off at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium thanks to a Robin van Persie penalty and further goals by Daley Blind and Georginio Wijnaldum.
They go home unbeaten, with their semi-final exit against Argentina only coming after a penalty shoot-out, but van Gaal warned United supporters that they will inevitably find themselves on the losing side from time to time.
"I couldn`t do it with Ajax, Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Losing is part of sport," he said.
"I just hope that at Manchester United I can do my best. Whether that`s enough for the fans, we`ll have to wait and see, but I genuinely hope that will be the case."
Holland`s success at this World Cup was in large part thanks to the excellent team spirit that he forged, and his decision to hand goalkeeper Michel Vorm a late appearance as a substitute against Brazil means all 23 members of the Dutch squad played some part at the tournament.
"There will always be a place in my heart for these 23 players," said van Gaal, who will be replaced as Dutch coach by Guus Hiddink.
"My players were great. I hope that the group in Manchester will become like this one because we have to read from the same hymn sheet. I hope I can get them to do that there."
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