Transfer Special : Manchester City complete Otamendi signing.

Nicolas Otamendi, a long term target for both the Manchester sides, United and City is finally said to have a deal agreed with Manchester City. The Argentine international will flew out to England and was officially announced as the club player on Thursday.

City have signed Otamendi for a reported fee of 28.5 Million Pounds. Otamendi would be an ideal signing for the Eastlands club as they are looking to take their defence to a whole new level. Mangala, who was roped in by City from Porto last summer for a hefty fee of 40 Million Pounds, was expected to go out.

Thomas Muller wants Manchester United move?

German World Cup winner and Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller is reported to be interested to follow his German and former Bayern compatriot Bastian Schweinsteiger to the English giants.

The Manchester United manager, Louis van Gaal has kept no secret in trying to bring another of his former employees to Old Trafford. However, according to John Richardson of the Express, the German international has “confided in friends that he is interested in a move to United alongside Schweinsteiger, who has been delighted with his Old Trafford welcome.”

If Muller is to come at United, he is expected to demand a very high wage rate though Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the Bavarian side would be “out of our minds” to sell the 25-year-old. Whether Bayern are ready to lose two key players to United in one summer is a new topic up for debate, but talks are said to be ongoing between the two sides.

United have shown their urge to bring in a new striker and a few names have been on their wish list, Muller was certainly among them. Van Gaal is a big fan of the German stalwart and luring him to Old Trafford would be one of the biggest moves of this summer’s transfer window. Also the number 9 kit is vacant in the Red Devils dressing table and they are yet to disclose their ‘secret signing’. With this news of Muller wishing a move away from Bavaria, some fans have started to believe that Thomas Muller could be the one to solve their striking woes.

Muller has played under van Gaal during his reign at the Munich club, rather it was at this time when he had flourished himself as one of the best players at the Allianz arena, after disappointing loan switches to other names in the German Bundesliga. So if he really makes this move to England, there should not be any problem in settling down as he knows the tactics and the gameplay preferred by the Dutch boss. He could use some help from Bastian Schweinsteiger to get himself comfortable among the Red Devils.

Louis van Gaal with Muller and Schweinsteiger at Bayern Munich.

In my opinion, it would be a big mistake made by Pep Guardiola to let go two of his finest and most experienced players leave for the same club, in the same window.

Can Falcao revive his career at Chelsea?

The most awaited Premier League 2015/16 season has begun, and it will be the defending champions Chelsea who would be grabbing the attention from all the fans as they look to be the first team to lift the Premier League crown twice in row, since Manchester United’s hat trick  between 2007-09. The focus was on the new recruits brought in by all the teams this summer to strengthen their squads for a better season, and surprisingly the Londoners have added only one big name to their squad – Radamel Falcao. The Colombian stalwart played for Manchester United last year but it was a very dull season for him, as he could find the net only 4 times throughout the season.

Rival teams and possible title challengers Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City have all got at least a big name signed, who have had a good season last season around. Petr Cech moved to Arsenal after winning the league with Chelsea, United signed 4 big names – Darmian, Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger and Depay, City got Raheem Sterling and are on the verge of wrapping up Kevin De Bruyne anytime soon and finally, Liverpool roped in Christian Benteke, James Milner and Roberto Firmino.

Questions were raised on Jose Mourinho’s plans when the club announced to have signed Falcao on a season long loan from Monaco. Falcao had a far from average Copa America earlier this year, thus his move to the newly crowned champions was a surprise to everyone. It was considered as a risk by some of the fans and his ability to cope up with English football was again a talking point.

Having played with the Red Devils for a year, Falcao had lost the spark for which he is known for. Considered as one of the best strikers in the world at a time, he could not even become the best among the United players. The reason behind his failure has had a lot of opinions from the people lately. While some say that he should have been given more game time and picked up over Robin Van Persie more often, others say that Van Gaal’s style was not suitable to him. The Dutch boss preferred to play with a two strikers up front, but Falcao had always played as a lone forward which was a major change to his role on field.

At Chelsea, Mourinho prefers to let his strikers play with some wide open spaces and wingers who’ll support him from the flanks. With both Falcao and Mourinho having similarities in this case, there’s a good chance that the ‘El Tigre’ would be able to revive his goal scoring form. Though for getting back to be known as one of the best finishers, he needs to be picked up more often over Diego Costa and should be given some time to settle himself in, else nothing would go in the right direction for him and would yet again be deemed as a flop.

Schneiderlin is the player Manchester United needed.

Manchester United were crying out loud for a new centre midfielder from last season as it was one of the places where the team faced most of the difficulties other than their defense. They got veteran German Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin this year to strengthen their midfield woes.

Morgan Schneiderlin celebrates his goal on his debut with Man Utd teammates.

The Red Devils had Michael Carrick in the holding position last season but because of his frequent injuries Van Gaal had to bring in someone else or change the formation which was turning to be a big problem for them. Dutch signing Daley Blind was used by the United boss in Carrick’s absence but he too got sidelined for a few important games that included big rivals such as Chelsea and Everton. This was in the final weeks of last season and losing 2 players of that position was a big loss to them. United lost both the games and were on the brink of losing Champions League football yet again. Van Gaal had learnt that this problem had to be dealt as soon as possible and the club’s executive Ed Woodward had helped him out there by signing Morgan Schneiderlin from fellow league opponents Southampton.

United had piped London rivals Arsenal to sign the Frenchman for a reported fee of 24 million pounds. His signing was announced immediately after the official presentation of the club’s 1st German buy, Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bavarian side Bayern Munich. Carrick, Herrera and Blind were now accompanies by these 2 new men. Schneiderlin had started for United in their 1st pre-season game against CA America in Seattle on their 2015 tour. Schneiderlin was the man of the moment as he scored the only goal of the game in the 5th minute as he headed home from a Juan Mata cross. In a post match statement he said “I’m very happy to get the goal in my 1st game. It was a great cross from Mata”.

Having scored the winner on his debut was something that not only but also fans had loved. Other than the goal he had put up a great show for the fans which got him a lot of appreciation. His game chemistry with Carrick, whose boots he’s brought in to fill was definitely a treat to watch for the United fans.

He might have not played the full game but his stint in the first 45 minutes had won the hearts of millions of United fans and they knew that this is man they needed the most. Hopefully he’ll only keep getting better in the days to come and United’s problem of a consistent holding midfielder can be solved.

Manchester United gearing up for pre-season tournament in the United States.

The Stretford Stand

Man United will be going to the United States in this summer for the pre-season friendlies.

The Red Devils will be gearing up for the pre-season friendly tour taking place in the United States this year and clash with the defending European champions Barcelona and French champions Paris Saint Germain. Their performances and approach towards these friendly tours have been changing in the previous years.

The last 5 years have turned out to be very important for the Red Devils when it came to the friendlies. As of the 2010-11 pre-season games, United had agreed to play Guadalaraja on 30th July to open their new stadium Estadio Chivas which had a capacity of 45,000. Unfortunately the English giants lost that game 2-3. On 6th May that year, Manchester United announced that they’d be travelling to North America that summer for the 1st time since 2004.

Sir Alex Ferguson, then the manager had chosen his 22-man squad that included new signing Chris Smalling. United flew out over the Atlantic on 12th July without the players who participated the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. United started off their pre-season campaign against Scottish side Celtic. Dimitar Berbatov, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck scored a goal each as the Red Devils cruised to a 3-1 win. The next fixture was against Philadelphia Union where a 76th minute winner by Gabriel Obertan saw the game ending in United’s favour. The following game was against Kansas City Wizards and a controversial goal earned the American club victory.

The United States tour culminated in a convincing 5-2 win over MLS All Stars. Young guns Federico Macheda, Darron Gibson, Tom Cleverley and new signing Javier Hernandez had shone in this game. The team returned to Europe and was set to face League of Ireland 11 in the 1st match to be played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. World Cup stars Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Ji-Sung Park and Nemanja Vidic had joined the United camp after their World Cup duties. The game was a big boost for United as they went to win this one by a huge 7-1 scoreline.

A testimonial match for retiring captain Gary Neville was scheduled on May 24 at Old Trafford. This match featured some of ‘Fergie’s Fledglings’ from the Class of 92, including former stars Nicky Butt, Gary’s brother Phil, David Beckham and the current United players, but they slipped to a 2-1 defeat.

Manchester United preceded their 2011-12 campaign with a tour to The United States for the 2nd time in a row. They took on New England Revolution and started off their pre-season tour with a 4-1 win over the Americans. In their next game, United were in top form as they beat Seattle Sounders 7-0.  The Red Devils played their next 2 games against American sides Chicago Fire and the MLS All Stars where they won 3-1 and 6-0 respectively.

They then played Spanish champions Barcelona in Washington DC where the Red Devils emerged victorious with the full time score at 2-1. Club legend Paul Scholes was given a testimonial in honor of his 17 years of service. The match was played at Old Trafford against New York Cosmos and won 6-0.  They completed the pre-season tour against League of Ireland 11 where United rounded off with a 4-1 win.

The 2012-13 pre-season tour was global tour which included trips to South Africa, China and Norway. The 1st game of this tour was against AmaZulu where a 1st half goal by Federico Macheda saw United coming off as the winners. They then played Ajax Cape Town which was their last game in the African continent. It ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Following this, the Red Devils travelled to China and played Shanghai Shenhua at the Shanghai stadium where new signing Shinji Kagawa scored the winner. They then moved to Norway to play Valerenga in Oslo which ended in a goalless draw.

United played out a draw with Barcelona in their penultimate fixture. The last game was against Hannover 96 whom they had not faced since 1965. The Red Devils were now ready to start their league campaign as they won the last friendly game by a narrow margin; it was 4-3.

The following season, United had scheduled the global tour of Australia, Asia and Europe before returning to Old Trafford for Rio Ferdinand’s testimonial match against Sevilla. The pre-season didn’t go quite well for the Red Devils as the new manager David Moyes suffered 3 defeats in 7 games which was described as ‘poor’ and ‘miserable’. Their 1st game itself in the friendlies turned out to be a shameful 1-0 loss against Thai All Stars 11. They managed to get only 2 victories in the pre-season campaign this time which was against Kitchee and A-League All-stars. United youngsters Adnan Januzaj and Jesse Lingard were the best of the young players to have featured in these friendly games.

Following the dismissal of David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal was appointed as the new boss and he brought the Red Devils back to more enjoyable pre-season games by winning all of them. These fixtures included the Chevrolet Cup tie with LA Galaxy which the Old Trafford club won 7-0. They then started playing in the International Champions Cup where they faced some familiar European names. These names were of Italian giants Roma and Inter who were beaten 3-2 and 5-3(penalties) by United in the group stages. They then faced the defending European champions Real Madrid where goals from Ashley Young and Javier Hernandez saw them through to the finals of the ICC. The last game in the States was against league rivals Liverpool where the Red Devils had beaten their rivals to lift the International Champions Cup. On their return to England, Louis Van Gaal faced his fans for the 1st time as United faced Valencia at home just before the season began.

Captains Rooney and Fletcher with the International Champions Cup 2014-15

Though Man United have a much stronger squad now and the Premier League title at stake, a good show in the friendlies this year is expected too as it will build up confidence in the players before the new campaign. 

Transfer Special : Wayne Rooney wants Harry Kane at Man Utd.

Wayne Rooney wants Louis Van Gaal to bring Harry Kane at Manchester United.

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has urged the club manager Louis Van Gaal to bring in young sensation Harry Kane to Old Trafford this summer to alleviate their woes up front.

The Red Devils are in the market for a star striker and captain Rooney believes that his England teammate would be the perfect candidate up for the grabs. United have not exercised the option to sign on loan striker Radamel Falcao from Monaco at a reported fee of 43 million pounds and are on a hunt to get a new forward for the club who can score goals and take them closer to a title challenge.

With the rising uncertainty of Dutchman Robin Van Persie, the Red Devils definitely need to get in a man who is very sharp in scoring goals and Harry Kane looks to be 1 of them. The young Englishman had a bright season with having scored more than 30 goals for Spurs in all competitions. He was also in contention to win the Premier League golden boot this season which went the other way to Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. He has certainly proved to be an asset for the years to come given his age and potential. The Red Devils are hoping to secure him in a big fee of 40 million pounds, a significant amount for a player who has had only 1 good season in the top flight.

Rooney and Kane at a Euro 3016 qualifier match of England.

The boss, Van Gaal has a soft corner for players who can do more than just score goals in his system. He might take the skipper’s recommendation on a high note and would go a long way in believing that Kane is the right man to link up with the former Everton man in front of the goal.

United and Spurs have indulged in good business regarding transfers in the past, having bought Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov for exorbitant fees over the past few years.

They are unlikely to face any competition from elsewhere with other top clubs having their hands full in that department and United are the only side who have been keeping an eye on the Englishman.

A look at Wayne Rooney's 1st season as the United captain

The Stretford Stand

Wayne Rooney has become a talisman for the England national side, and celebrated his long-term success with the Red Devils by taking the captaincy for the 2014/15 season with pride.

The frontman was given the honour over fellow attacker Robin van Persie, despite Louis van Gaal, who was then the manager of the Dutch national side, giving the former Arsenal starman the armband instead of experienced midfielder Wesley Sneijder. This move had provoked many people to guess that the same would happen at Old Trafford, but things turned out to be quite different.

Taking over the armband from former teammate Nemanja Vidic, Rooney had now stepped in to fill the boots left by the Serbian international who won five league titles with United. Rooney’s captaincy was tested first when he led the Red Devils in the International Champions Cup, the pre-season friendly tournament in the United States. United emerged as the eventual champions and were victorious against big European names like Inter, Roma, Real Madrid and national rivals Liverpool. Soon after taking the reins at the Theatre of Dreams on the field, Rooney had also succeeded Steven Gerrard as the England senior team skipper.

The pre-season tour was not considered as an important stage to test the Englishman’s captaincy skill as not all of the squad would line-up for van Gaal’s red army The Premier League was deemed an ideal competition to determine how well can he flourish as a captain. He had scored his first goal as a skipper in the Red Devils’ opening game of the season against Swansea at Old Trafford, and despite defeat, an individual performance from Rooney had silenced the critics for a moment. Nor did he just play as a permanent forward, but came in to play the role of an attacking or a defensive midfielder when needed. This had gained him a lot of appreciation from the football fans around the globe.



Other than that, the skipper had been a firm player when it came to score goals. His form of finding the goal had come back when he was played in as a striker, his preferred position by the boss. The Dutchman had often opted to use him as a lone player up front which actually helped him get back to his goal scoring form, with the support provided to him by the flanks and the central midfielders proven to work well with the Englishman leading the line as a lone wolf.

Wayne Rooney proved to be a successful captain in his 1st season under Louis Van Gaal

In his first stint as a captain, United reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup and were looking one of the teams who could clinch the long overdue trophy at Wembley. He was the leading goal scorer with the Old Trafford club, and 14 goals in 37 saw him become the first ever player in Premier League history to reach double digits in 11 successive seasons.

Rooney has also led the team back to the Champions League – which was the first priority of the team, while climbing to second in the list of Manchester United’s all-time leading goal scorers. He may soon become the club’s highest ever goal scorer, and could also become the greatest player in the history of the Manchester side with his current form rate.

The future looks bright for Wayne Rooney while donning the armband.

Transfer Special : Roberto Firmino is linked with a move to Old Trafford

The Stretford Stand

Versatile midfielder Roberto Firmino has reportedly gained interest from United after recent performances.The Brazilain is ever-improving in the Bundesliga, and could be the second signing at Old Trafford this summer.

Brazilian sensation Roberto Firmino has become the latest target linked to the Theatre of Dreams, and has been rumoured a potential target to follow Memphis Depay to Manchester United ahead of their potential return to Champions League football.

The 23-year-old who is currently on international duty, but is expected to be close a move to Old Trafford. However, he is likely to a carry an estimated fee of £13.1 million, shown in his recent impressive role in Brazil’s 1-0 friendly victory over Honduras on Wednesday – in which he netted the winner for his side. According to TalkSPORT, United have been keeping an eye on him from some time.

Firminio is noted to have played in a variety of midfield roles, contributing 10 goals and 12 assists as Hoffenhiem just missed out on the Europa League qualifications. The Red Devils are reported to have pipped arch rivals Liverpool to get the Brazilian’s signature, just like they did to catch hold of Dutch star Depay last month.

Roberto Firmino was in top form against Honduras

He is also widely regarded as one of the flag bearers of a new Brazilian generation, alongside the likes of Neymar, Coutinho, Lucas Moura, with the national side still recovering from last summer’s butchering by eventual winner Germany in the World Cup semi-finals.

The youngster has made a promising start to his international career too, averaging a goal every other goal after six appearances, including a phenomenal strike against South Americans Chile at the Emirates Stadium in march.

A review of Man Utd's player of the season - David De Gea

The Stretford Stand

Spanish international David de Gea was signed by the Red Devils as a replacement for long term keeper and Dutch sensation, Edwin van der Sar as he announced his retirement, and has enjoyed his greatest season to date at the Theatre of Dreams.

De Gea was welcomed to the Manchester club by then the manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and the number one, formally of La Liga side Atletico Madrid, took some time to settle in the English way of football. Nonetheless, he developed into the first choice keeper in the United camp. Admitteldy, questions were raised regarding his ability, but he turned out as a good investment for the Reds; and soon was in competition with other higher rated goalkeepers.

After guarding the net for almost every minute of United’s 2014-15 season, halted only by injury in the two concluding fixtures, de Gea’s skills were a pleasure to watch. Although he didn’t have as many clean sheets as the rival teams’ goalkeepers had, which many had blamed the unstable defense of United for that.

Unfortunately, the season didn’t quite start as expected, with United lost their opening fixture of the Premier League at home to Welsh side Swansea City. The defeat was soon followed by a nightmare, suffering a 5-3 hammering by recently promoted Leicester City. But after the bad times on the pitch, he was slowly starting to get back on his feet.

He had hit top form in the game against Merseyside outfit Everton, and saved Leighton Baines’ penalty to keep his side in the game. However, it was later in the match de Gea received the largest cheers from the crowd. United emerged victorious 2-1, and the shot stopper was named Man of the Match. Other than saving the spot kick, he displayed his reflexes in the dying minutes of the game where two important saves retained the victory for the Red Devils. A new era of goalkeeping at the Theatre of Dreams had begun.

De Gea's magnificent saves in the final minutes saved the day for United against Everton

Since that match, fortunes were bright for the goalkeeper. He had played a monumental involvement in United’s’ league campaign, with the club snatching fourth place and subsequently reaching qualification for the Champions League, Europe’s grand stage.

Whenever the Old Trafford back four were unsatisfactory, it was de Gea’s responsibility to keep the danger down, something displayed with finesse throughout the season. He was once again in the spotlight when facing top four rivals Arsenal. The North London club could manage to score only in the stoppage time of the second half – which caused minimal issues for Louis van Gaal’s men, with a comfortable two goal lead.

However, it was his heroics that United had won this game in a comfortable way. The talent of de Gea didn’t stop there, also displaying his world-class ability against league leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford. Keeping the likes of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fábregas and Nemanja Matic at bay, conceding just the single goal allowed the Reds to take a point against a resilient force.

Even when things were not looking good for United, he would always be at his best. After being knocked out of the FA Cup, United were on their top form and de Gea continued to impress against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and local rivals Manchester City in consecutive weeks.

Sergio Aguero had maintained his form of scoring against United and had also given the lead to City. But the Red Devils came from behind to score a tremendous four goals, with de Gea holding out until the last 10 minutes, when Manuel Pellegrini’s side in full swing found the net just once. The win had almost confirmed United’s place in the Champions League for the following season, and the goalkeeper had earned his plaudits.

In the remaining six games, a lackluster conclusion to the campaign saw just one victory come against Crystal Palace. Strong reflexes and dynamic ability in one-on-one situations ensured Alan Pardew could only celebrate the one goal, and van Gaal celebrated victory.

De Gea made his last appearance of the season in the game against Arsenal, where he was sidelined due to a knock on his knee. Many believe that it could in fact be his last appearance in a United shirt, with reports suggesting a deal back to Madrid is reaching the final stages – which could see him replace fellow international Iker Casillas as the number one for Los Galacticos.

De Gea with the Manchester United player of the year award

The goalkeeper claimed the Players’ and Fan’s Player of the Year awards for a second consecutive season to top a memorable campaign, but de Gea’s reign could be over after his pivotal season.

Ambitions of Manchester United on return to the Champions League next season.

The Stretford Stand.

Champions League, the most elite completion in European Football is something that every top club wants to aim for, and of course it’s never easy.

And for Manchester United the stakes are at high as they come to face the biggest teams in Europe after a disappointing gap of just a single year. Champions twice under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester side couldn’t reach the competition following his departure when fellow scot David Moyes was assigned the man in charge.

The last time the Red Devils played in the Champions League, they were knocked out by the reigning Champions, and ended at 1-1 with United skipper Nemanja Vidic heading for the home side. The second leg produced something that most of the people predicting; Bayern writing of United as the full time score at the Allianz Arena was 3-1 in the favor of the Bavarian side – which ended United’s hopes of going forward in the UCL.

The last time Man United played in the Champions League was against Bayern Munich where they lost.

Louis van Gaal had completely changed the style of play with his arrival to the club, and the team looks considerably stronger and more confident than they were before. They have former European winners such as skipper Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Juan Mata and Argentine winger Angel Di Maria. In fact Di Maria was the man of the match in the 2014 Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

With the boss announcing his wish to add some more experienced star players to his squad, United will be hoping to put on a good show. They finished fourth in the league and their priority of playing Champions League football the following season was accomplished as their campaign was considered a success.

The ambitions of the manager and players should be the same next season. They should aim at finishing high in the European competition, even though many supporters will want their priority to win the Premier League. Van Gaal has won the competition himself previously with Catalan club Barcelona, and has a pack of mixture of excellent experience as well as youth players. A combination of players shouldn’t be any problem for the club to shine in Europe.

United could play the likes of Italian side Lazio or French club Monaco in the qualifier of the group stage, or may be handed an easier route to the group stages. With more players yet to set their foot in Old Trafford, the Dutch boss should at least try to reach for the quarter finals stage of Champions League.

It’s been far too long since the Champions League trophy was in the hands of United, last winning in 2008. Beating league rivals Chelsea in Moscow courtesy of a penalty shoot-out, the current rate of transfers and improvement going on means we could expect the English giants to lift the European crown anytime soon in the coming years. Though for next year, the Red Devils’ fans will be really thrilled to see their side play some great football against some of the best teams of the continent. It could also depend on who would United play in the later stages of the competition to see how far would the Manchester club go on their return.

The Red Devils have not won the European cup since the double in 2009.

But things are not going the right way for English for a number of reasons, with an English side failing to reach the quarter finals this past campaign. This is definitely something that van Gaal should consider and look to improve if he wants his club to progress further. From looking at the current situation, the team can actually do very well and they should be able to maintain their good form for the show to keep going!

The current squad of United is capable of challenging big teams in Europe.

Only time will tell how good the things would be looking for them, but right now they seem to be going on the right track, and with the way the team is going up there would be a nice smile on the Manchester United fans’ faces now.

A review of Van Gaal's 1st season with the Red Devils.

              Louis Van Gaal's first season at the Theatre Of Dreams.

The Dutchman was brought in to be the the man in charge of the Old Trafford club prior to the 'Chosen One's' - David Moyes sacking. Moyes had got the opportunity to fiil in the big boots of Sir Alex Ferguson but couldn't do the job in the expected way and eventually got sacked after a disastrous season with United that got the club at a shameful 7th position in the Premier League and no European football the following season.

The board of directors of Manchester United had then decided to appoint Louis Van Gaal as the successor to Moyes. Unlike Moyes,Van Gaal had got much appreciation from the people all over the globe and his history with the clubs he previously managed was amazing and in fact was the exact kind of uplifting United needed. He came in to Old Trafford after serving his nation -The Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup 2014 at Brazil and his impressive stint there was something that the United fans were expecting from the Dutchman for them. His team did a brilliant job in Brazil and wrote the critics off by becoming the 3rd best team in the World Cup. After being officially announced as the next United boss,Van Gaal had taken his 1st big step by appointing the club legend and former interim manager Ryan Giggs as his assistant. This decision was indeed a very important one as there had to be somebody around him who actually knew Manchester United. He had also appointed Wayne Rooney as the team skipper after Vidic had left. The next big step for the boss was to do some good business in the transfer window. Ander Herrera & Luke Shaw were the first set of player bought by him and they both featured in the pre season tour in the USA. Luke Shaw was bought from Southampton on world record transfer fee for a teenager worth £27 million. United won the International Champions Cup,the pre season tour by beating big names like Inter Milan, Real Madrid and league rivals Liverpool in the finals.

Louis Van Gaal's presentation at United with club legend Sir Bobby Charlton

They then started off their campaign by facing Swansea City at home which was the first game of the 2014-15 Premier League season. But it looked like former boss Moyes still haunted the Theatre Of Dreams as United started off their season with a disappointing loss. This was perhaps the most awaited game of the year as many had hoped for something different and possibly a positive change for United. Fate had still continued to remain unchanged as they drew the next 2 games at Sunderland & Burnley. The Dutchman had then done some very important decisions regarding the formation and the players as he roped in 4 new players to the squad which also included British record signing Ángel Di Maria come in from the European chanpions Rèal Madrid. Also Colombian striker Radamel Falcao had arrived on a loan agreement with AS Monaco. This is where Man United had actually started their campaign. The next game was against QPR where the new players had shone and earned a convincing 4-0 victory against the Rangers. Things were looking good for them before they faced newly promoted side Leicester City away. The Red Devils were having a 1-2 lead at the break but some unfortunate round of events in the 2nd half gave a huge blow to United as they were butchered 5-3 by a promoted side. This is where the United defense was criticized. It was of course difficult to replace the experience of seniors Evra,Vidic & Ferdinand with a pack of youth talents. The Red Devils then played their first rival game of the season against title challengers and leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford which was also a reunion for friends Van Gaal and Mourinho. United were lagging behind but an injury time equaliser by Robin Van Persie had restored the name of 'Comeback Kings' to United. They faced defending champions and local rivals city next at the Etihad Stadium where the game ended 1-0 in the favour of the home side with United at 10 men. The Red Devils were now traveling to the Emirates Stadium in London to face Arsenal. United had won their 1st rival game of the season as the north Londoners were beaten 1-2 at home. Things were going pretty good for the Manchester Club as they were on a winning course that also included a 3-0 hammering of long time rivals Liverpool. After this great run United had again started to falter.

Red Devils' trio of Rooney,Van Persie and Mata celebrate their 3-0 win over rivals Liverpool.

The Red Devils were slowly going back to the place where they had started the season. They were drawn to play rivals Arsenal in the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The north Londoners were looking to defend the Cup and they were successful to reach the finals this year too. Former devil,Danny Welbeck had scored the lucky winner for the gunners and didn't let his emotions come in between as he celebrated the goal against his boyhood club. Yet again United failed to make it to a cup final since 2010.

Surprisingly this was the turning point for United this year as they went on to win 6 consecutive league games since that FA Cup loss that had important fixtures such as rivals Spurs,Liverpool & City. The dramatic 4-2 win over rivals was considered as one of the best display by United this season. Unfortunately the team lost key players like Michael Carrick and Daley Blind in the following fixtures and they lost a big game against leaders Chelsea. Following this,they were beaten 3-0 away at Merseyside club Everton and West Brom were next to win over United. This was the 1st time the Red Devils had lost 3 in a row after a long period of time. In the remaining 3 games,they drew 2 and won 1 game. Their home,Old Trafford had turned into a fortress again which had been vanished under Moyes as they lost only 3 games in the league this season.

Van Gaal had done the job for which he was called in,to secure Champions League spot for next team. This was done in a very convincing manner with a few games to spare. His tenure had brought the spark in previous season's flop Ashley Young & Maroune Fellaini who were the star players of the United camp alongside Blind,Carrick,Herrera and De Gea.

The boss Van Gaal thanks the fans for their support to him and team at the last home game of the season.

This was the Dutchman's stint at his 1st season at Old Trafford,and there are still 2 more to go in his contract and hopefully those remaining 2 seaasons would bring in more succes to Manchester United and get the English giants back to their fame.

Will the game ever be the same as Lampard, Gerrard and Xavi leave European Football?

The career of these 3 great midfielders was inspirational,one of the finest and dedicated to their clubs.

The Football fans would have possibly never imagined the game to be the same as we saw three of the greatest midfielders taking retirement from international duties followed by their move to the MLS and Qatar this year.

They were not just any ordinary names in the game,they were legends and the fan favorites and of course it was a huge blow to to them when the players announced their departure from Europe. No wonder they were going to get a grand farewell but their careers,goals and their playing style will be remembered forever. Also there would be millions out there who took these players as their role models who inspired them. The cheers and chants were possibly the loudest for them and their skillful moves had always energized the crowd. They were loved and supported even during their hard times and later these players later repaid the fans faith as ny becoming one of the best players on field.

The 1st player who announced his departure from his long stayed club was Englishman Frank Lampard who left the west London club Chelsea after 14 unforgettable years. Being the highest scoring midfielder in the Premier League history, it was definitely hard for the Chelsea fans to see him go. Some even considered him as the best ever player at the Stamford Bridge side. Lampard began his career at West Ham United, for whom his father Frank Lampard, Sr. had also played. He secured a place in the first team by the 1997–98 season, and the following year helped the team finish 5th in the Premier League, their highest-ever Premier League placing. In 2001, he moved to rival London club Chelsea for £11 million. In 2014, he was released by Chelsea after 13 years of service.

Frank Lampard celebrating after winning the Premier League in 2005 under Jose Mourinho.

From his début, he was ever-present in the Chelsea first team and made 164 consecutive Premier League appearances, a record for an outfield player. He established himself as a prolific scorer at the west London club and was a key part of the sides which won back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and a domestic double in 2007. He signed a new contract in 2008, becoming the highest-paid Premier League footballer at that time, and scored in his first Champions League Final that year. He won a second FA Cup winners' medal in 2009, scoring the winning goal in the final. In the 2009–10 season, Lampard helped Chelsea secure their first league and FA Cup Double, and also had his most prolific season with the club, scoring 22 league goals and 17 league assists. In 2012, Lampard captained Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League success and a year later to their first UEFA Europa League title. He was released by the club after the 2013-14 season.

A three-time Chelsea Player Of The Year Lampard is the club's all-time top goalscorer 211 goals in all competitions. Lampard is one of seven players, and the only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. He is second in the Premier League's all-time assists table, behind Ryan Giggs. In 2005, Lampard was voted FWA Footballer Of The Year and was runner-up in both the FIFA World Player Of The Year and the Balloon d'Or. In 2010 he received the FWA Player SAward.

Internationally, Lampard was capped 106 times by England since his debut in October 1999, and scored 29 international goals. He was voted England Player Of The Year for two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005. He played in Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament after scoring three goals in four games. He was top scorer for England in their 2006 Worl Cup qualifying campaign with five goals, and played at three World Cups. He is England's most prolific penalty taker with nine goals, surpassing the previous record holders,Ron Flower and Alan Shearer.

After 13 years of service to the the Londoners, he was supposed to leave for the Major League Soccer side New York City FC in the summer of 2014. He was later loaned to by the MLS club to their part owners, English champions Manchester City. He made his debut for the Manchester club in an away game against his former club's rivals Arsenal as a replacement for injured Yaya Toure. During the !st clash between the defending champions City and the challengers Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium, he came on as a 2nd half substitute to score against his former club but couldn't control his emotions and broke down as the away fans still cheered for him. His last game in the league was against Southampton where he scored the opener in City's 2 - 0 win over saints The memories of his spectacular goals and assists will surely stay in the hearts of the fans forever and has always played a part of an honest supportive role. 

Lampard thanking the fans after his last game for City.

Steven Gerrard.

Steven is considered as one of the best midfielders in the world and has been a phenomenal player. He started off his youth career for his boyhood club Liverpool FC. he was in the squad of the mersyside club from 1987 - 1998 and later got in the first team in the year 2000. Though there have been frequent arguments on calling him as the best center midfielder cause many think its his English national team's counterparts - Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard. His style of play was a feast to watch when the Anfield club had the likes of Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Fernando Torres under then the manager Rafael Benitez.

 Gerrard has spent his entire Anfield career , succeeding Sami Hyppia as team captain in 2003. His honours include two FA Cup, three League Cup, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup, and two UEFA Super Cup. He has signed a contract to join MLS club LA Galaxy in July 2015, following the conclusion of the 2014–15 season with Liverpool.

Gerrard made his international debut for the England national football team in 2000, and represented his country at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup – captaining the team at the latter two tournaments. He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012, where he was named in the UEFA Team Of The Tournament. Gerrard became the sixth player to win 100 caps for England in 2012, and is currently third in the country's all time appearance list. He ended his international career in July 2014, having won 114 caps.

Gerrard lifting the Champions League trophy in 2005.

Regarded to be one of the best English footballers of his generation, Gerrard came second to Kenny Dalglish the "100 Players Who Shook The Kop", a 2008 Liverpool fan poll, and first in 2013.Zinedine Zidane said in 2009 that he considered Gerrard to be the best footballer in the world. In 2005, Gerrard was honoured as the UEFA Club Footballer Of The Year and won the Balloon d'Or Bronze Award. He has also been named in the PFA Team Of The Year a record eight times, the UEFA Team Of The Year and FIFA World 11 three times, and was named PFA Players' Player Of The Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer Of The Year in 2009. He is, to date, the only footballer ever to have scored a goal in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup Final, a UEFA Cup Final and a Champions League Final. His performance during Liverpool's epic turnaround AC Milan in Istanbul in 2005 is one of the reasons that has has increased the clubs fans by more than a million.

                                                                              Xavi Hernandez.

The Spanish talisman has changed the game of Football during his prime at Barcelona and is the club's most successful player by winning the Champions League 3 times in 2006, 2009, 2011 and has been in the list of FIFA Balloon d'Or team of the year more than once.

Xavi came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut against RCD Mallorca on 18 August 1998. Since then he has played 700 matches, scored 82 goals and made more than 180 assists for over 50 players. Xavi is the first player in FC Barcelona's history to play 150 international matches. Highly regarded for his humble persona and team ethos, Xavi is viewed as being the embodiment of the tiki-taka passing style of play, and is considered to be one of the greatest central midfielders of all time.

Xavi lifting the World Cup in 2010 is South Africa.

Xavi won the U-20 World Cup for Spain in 1999, and the Olympic Silver Medal at the 2000 Olympics. Since making his senior team debut in 2000, he has been capped 130 times for the Spanish National Team, and has been seen as an influential figure in the team's tremendous success. He played an integral role in Spain's victory at the 2010 World Cup, as well as their successes at both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He had a 91% passing success rate at the 2010 World Cup and was named in the World All-Star team. He was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA at Euro 2008. He was also named in the UEFA Euro Team Of The Tournament 2008 as well as 2012. Playing for Barcelona, Xavi won the Man of the Match award in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

Xavi on his last game for Barcelona.

Xavi has won more trophies (25) than any other Spanish player in history. He won the World Soccer Player Of The Year award in 2010. Xavi has received five Balloon d'Or nominations, and finished in third place in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he was runner up to Messi for the UEFA Best Player In Europe. He has been awarded the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award for 4 years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Xavi has been included in the UEFA Team Of The Year for 5 years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), and has been voted into the FIFA World 11 on 6 occasions: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. At Euro 2012, with his 2 assists in the Final, Xavi became the first player to register assists in 2 separate Euro finals, having set up the lone goal in the Final 4 years earlier. He was awarded the Prine Of Asturias  Award for Sports in 2012. After the 2014 World Cup, Xavi announced his retirement from international football.

His career had flourished very well under the management of Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal and his assistant Pep Guardiola who later took over in 2009.

There would be a different way of the game that we're gonna see next season as these men would leave for the USA and Qatar. Definitely, Football is not gonna be the same without these great personalities.