Welcome Blind

United agree deal for Blind

Manchester United is delighted to announce it has reached agreement with Ajax to sign Daley Blind, subjet to a medical and personal terms.

A further announcement will be made when the process is complete.

Rojo Wait Permit

Van Gaal: Rojo still needs work permit Louis van Gaal does not believe Marcos Rojo will obtain a work permit ahead of Saturday’s trip to Burnley, though the Manchester United manager says it is only a matter of time until the process is complete. The summer signing has been at the Argentinian Embassy in Madrid all week, trying to secure his right to work within the EU. Notably, the difference between Rojo and his compatriot Angel Di Maria is the latter has an Italian passport thanks to his grandparents. Speaking during his pre-match press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Friday, van Gaal vented his frustration: “I cannot change the law of Argentina. I am Manchester United manager, which is the biggest club in the world, but I cannot change the law. It’s only a matter of time.” Looking ahead to Saturday’s 12:45pm kick-off at Turf Moor, which can be followed via ManUtd.com’s live blog and the club’s official Twitter account @ManUtd, the boss is confident his side will utilise their superior technical ability against a newly-promoted team that is likely to favour a more direct approach. “It's not a big stadium but I think it will be a fantastic atmosphere and the fans will stimulate the Burnley players,” van Gaal told reporters. “They will play with a lot of passion and long balls. We have to fight against it. It shall be a very difficult game but we have to show we can play football.” dari : manutd.com

Louis Van Gaal

 Louis van Gaal arrives at Manchester United with an outstanding record of success first in his native Netherlands and subsequently at some of the biggest clubs in the world.

As a manager he has won league titles in three different countries, guided a youthful Ajax side to UEFA Champions League glory, as well as lifting the UEFA Cup. His second stint in charge of the Dutch national team ended with the Netherlands making the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, a run which included a magnificent 5-1 win over holders Spain.

Born Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal in Amsterdam on 8 August 1951, he joined Ajax aged 20 and while he never played for the great Dutch club's first team, the influence of the time he spent immersed in its culture of Total Football has never left him.

He cut his teeth at professional level after moving over the border to Royal Antwerp in Belgium, but following four years there he returned to Holland to complete his playing career, briefly at Telstar, then for eight years at Sparta Rotterdam before retiring after a short stint at AZ Van Gaal remained at AZ to begin a coaching and management career where the characteristics of fluent passing, talented youngsters being given a chance and canny tactics through a high attention to detail have remained to great effect at the highest level of the global game.

After leaving AZ, van Gaal's coaching education continued under the legendary Leo Beenhakker at Ajax, who he succeeded as first team boss in 1991. The club's fortunes had dipped since the golden era of the 1970s, but under van Gaal Ajax secured three consecutive Eredivisie titles and the UEFA Cup. But more importantly they delivered European Cup success, in its new guise as the Champions League, returning the trophy to the club for the first time in over 20 years.

A side containing future United star Edwin van der Sar, the De Boer brothers, Frank Rijkaard, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars and Patrick Kluivert overcame AC Milan in Vienna, and after this success it was inevitable that van Gaal would be linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. He eventually succeeded Bobby Robson at Barcelona in 1997, and after inheriting a set-up that included Jose Mourinho on the coaching staff, his new side won La Liga in his first season in charge, retaining the title the following year.

While at Barca, van Gaal had the first of four meetings with United in the Champions League, handing an 18-year-old Xavi his European debut during the 3-3 draw at Old Trafford. The first goalscorer that night? Ryan Giggs.

Van Gaal then had spells in charge of the Dutch national side and the Catalan giants again, and following a brief time at Ajax as technical director he returned to AZ and guided them to the Dutch title in 2009.

This dramatic success led to Bayern Munich recruiting him, and van Gaal became the first Dutch manager to win the Bundesliga, claiming a league title in his debut season in charge at a club for the second time – something Reds fans would love to see him do again at United.

A second Champions League final for van Gaal, in 2010, ended in defeat to an Inter Milan side managed by former assistant Mourinho, and after leaving Bayern he took up the reins of the Dutch national side once again and successfully steered them through to the 2014 World Cup finals. The Netherlands won the third place play-off with a 3-0 win over hosts Brazil, but just a few days later van Gaal was officially unveiled in Manchester to begin the next chapter of an already stellar career.

His announcement as the next United manager, the club's first continental coach to take charge of the first team, arrived on 19 May 2014. He will make full use of Ryan Giggs' knowledge of the club as his assistant manager, while assistant coaches Frans Hoek (specialising with goalkeepers) and Marcel Bout (focusing on opposition scouting) also joined a new-look backroom team at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal said: "It was always a wish for me to work in the Premier League. To work as a manager for Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, makes me very proud. I have managed in games at Old Trafford before and know what an incredible arena Old Trafford is and how passionate and knowledgeable the fans are. This club has big ambitions; I too have big ambitions. Together I'm sure we will make history."

Profile Angel Di Maria

Video profile: Angel Di Maria

One of the top players in world football, Angel Di Maria has proved himself at the very highest echelons of the game.

The Argentinian won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid and was named Man of the Match after the final triumph over local rivals Atletico, making him hugely popular with the Bernabeu faithful. By increasing his influence in Carlo Ancelotti's side, despite Gareth Bale joining Cristiano Ronaldo at the club last summer, he showed versatility, tenacity and strength of character.

Nobody supplied more assists than the wiry South American in 2013/14's La Liga and his incisive dribbling and passing is an exciting feature of his play. His goalscoring also helped Argentina beat Switzerland in the knockout stages of this summer's World Cup, though injury would unfortunately rule him out of the latter stages of the competition, including the final defeat to Germany.

Before all of this, the left-footed star made his professional debut for Rosario Central in his homeland at the tender age of 17 but spent only two seasons with his first club before earning a move to Europe and Benfica.

Nicknamed 'Fideo' ('Noodle') because of his skinny frame, he won many plaudits with the Estadio da Luz giants as the team claimed the Primeira Liga in 2010 during his final campaign in Portugal. After also scooping two League Cups, he was off to Real Madrid for an initial fee of €25million and fully repaid that investment with a string of stellar displays.

In his four full seasons in the Spanish capital, Di Maria won La Liga in 2012 and two Copa del Reys, in addition toearning the fabled 10th European Cup triumph in 2014 and the UEFA Super Cup. At international level, he was also part of Argentina's victorious teams in the FIFA World Youth Championship and the 2008 Olympic Games.

As such, the gold medalist has many respected admirers in the world of football, with compatriots Diego Maradona and Diego Simeone among those to laud his talents. Interestingly, the latter claimed in the week before the deal was agreed: "He's the best player they [Real] have. He's the most dominant player in pushing the play up the pitch."

It is clear Di Maria has the potential to become a genuine superstar at Old Trafford as he will enjoy his peak years in the red shirt following his record move to Manchester United.