A matter of days after he won the FA Cup at Wembley, Louis van Gaal was sacked by Manchester United. The Dutchman wasn’t greatly appreciated by the fans and was criticised for his possession based, safety first approach.
Manchester United fans were ecstatic to see Jose Mourinho as their new manager when he officially took over after months of speculation. Mourinho has delivered immediately, winning four of his six league games and has made blockbuster signings like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba.
But one positive that is often overlooked from Van Gaal’s largely dull spell was his contribution towards the development of some players within the squad.
Here are SIX who have been beneficiaries of Van Gaal
Daley Blind
In his first transfer window at Manchester United, Van Gaal signed Daley Blind from Ajax for a fee of £14 million.
Earlier in his career, Blind played as a left-back or defensive midfielder, and at the start of his United spell, he filled the latter role. But with Manchester United riddled by injuries, Blind was forced to occupy the centre back spot - which he's excelled in.
Luke Shaw
One of the first signings of Van Gaal’s spell was the young left back. The Englishman was signed on a four-year contract (with an option to extend for a further year) for a fee thought to be in the region of £30 million, making him the the most expensive teenager in world football at the time.
Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling was signed by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson and was expected to forge a new partnership with Phil Jones. Both were expected to pair up, to take charge of the defences of Manchester United as well as for the Three Lions, and although things haven't quite worked out for the pair, Smalling has developed into a top centre-back.
Marouane Fellaini
After David Moyes signed Fellaini, the supporters were not comfortable with the big Belgian. As a result, he was booed frequently and made a scapegoat for the failures of the Scot.
Despite being linked with moves away during the summers of LVG's reign, Fellaini hung around and carved out a niche as an emergency forward. His revival in the role earned him a reprieve as a midfielder under Mourinho this season.
Anthony Martial
Martial completed a move to Manchester United for £36 million, potentially rising to £58 million, on a four-year contract with the option of another year. This remains the highest transfer fee paid for a teenager, breaking the previous record of £30 million United paid for Luke Shaw a year earlier.
Although he's been a little inconsistent, comparisons with Thierry Henry show his supreme quality.
Marcus Rashford
Due to an injury crisis, Van Gaal took the opportunity to give the Manchester United’s academy players a go, Rashford being one. A scorer on his debut in the Europa League, Premier League, Manchester Derby, for the England team and now in (he scored a hat trick ) England’s U-21, Rashford is a proud owner of an exotic record.
Rashford was, arguably, England’s best player in EURO 2016 and post these exploits, he has drawn been widely praised. His impact hasn’t gone unnoticed by new manager Mourinho, either