Kuyt Believes United Will Regain Past Glory With Van Gaal

Former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt says that he expects Manchester United to once again return to the top of the English league under the regime of Louis van Gaal. Dutch national team boss van Gaal has been appointed as the successor for David Moyes, who was sacked towards the end of last season. It was a disappointing campaign for United in every competition, as they finished in a lowly seventh place. This was the first time they had finished outside the top four since the inception of the Premier league in 1992.

The lack of European football in the coming campaign has been cited as one of the reasons for United being a favourite to get back into the top four. This coupled with the presence of van Gaal should make them contenders for the league title according to Kuyt. The former Liverpool man may not be a first-team regular for the Dutch national team, but he has worked closely with the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss to be well aware of his strengths. He says that one of the first jobs van Gaal will be doing is to get the best out of van Persie.

The former Arsenal man has already stated that he enjoys a great relationship with the 62-year-old. "I think Robin van Persie is an amazing player. He has shown that at United. ­Unfortunately, he was injured too many times this season. But I'm sure, with Van Gaal and Robin together, great things are going to happen with Man United - unfortunately! Van Gaal is an open style of manager. He has a clear idea of what footballers need in training and also outside of training. And if you want something to change, his door is open - but you also have to have a very good ­argument,” said Kuyt.