Louis Van Gaal appointed Netherlands manager for the third time till 2022

Louis Van Gaal appointed Netherlands manager for the third time till 2022

Netherlands have named Louis Van Gaal as their new head coach. The Dutchman returns as the national head coach for the third time in his career.

Previous coach Frank De Boer was sacked from the job after their failure in EURO 2020 where they lost out in the Round of 16. The 69-year old Van Gaal has been handed a contract till the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Louis Van Gaal led Netherlands to a 3rd place finish in the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Van Gaal during his spell as manager in 2014

Van Gaal’s first test as the Dutch manager would come in September when he takes charge of the team for the first time leading them in the World Cup qualifiers.

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“We have in the coming months ahead of us the assignment of qualifying for the World Cup,” said the Dutch football federation’s director Nico-Jan Hoogma.

“We have little preparation time and given this, we were looking for a coach with exceptional qualities, who can also quickly anticipate and for whom coaching the national team does not hold any secrets. With his experience and record at the highest level, we identified Louis van Gaal.”

Van Gaal has won over 20 major honours, including a Champions League win with Ajax and league titles with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Van Gaal was first appointed Netherlands boss in 2000, but the move was short-lived after his side failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. He was granted a second chance at the job in 2012, enjoying a two-year stint in charge. 

In the 2014 World Cup he guided the Netherlands to a third place finish in Brazil, before joining Manchester United where he won the FA Cup.

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