Louis Van Gaal cured of cancer, veteran ex-Manchester United boss seeking ‘right opportunity’ to return to coaching

“But it turned out well in the end, so I can manage it now,” Van Gaal further said. “I get inspected every few months, but that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter.”

Van Gaal is currently with Dutch football club Ajax as a special advisor. He has served in the role since his last management stint, which was as the Netherlands head coach which ended after the team’s semi-final exit in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Van Gaal has stated in the past that he is no longer interested in managing clubs and he reiterated the same. “I’m not thinking about retirement yet. Not clubs, but if the right opportunity comes with a national team, I’m listening,” he said.

Van Gaal’s three stints as Netherlands manager

Van Gaal’s lengthy managerial career has seen him taking charge at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United. He has coached the Netherlands in three different stints. The first was from 2000 to 2002, either side of his two stints as manager of Barcelona. It was a rather forgettable stint for him though as the Netherlands failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, the first time they couldn’t make it to the tournament finals since 1986. He stepped down on January 31, 2002 and returned to Barcelona shortly thereafter.

Van Gaal’s second stint was from 2012 to 2014 and it was confirmed that he would take over at Manchester United about two months before he stepped down on May 19, 2014. This time, the Netherlands made it to the World Cup. They made it to the quarterfinals, famously beating defending champions Spain 5-1 in a match that is largely seen as marking the end of the latter side’s dominant era. Netherlands were knocked in the semi-finals by Argentina.

His third stint, which is thus far his last in his managerial career, was from 2021 to 2022. Once again, it ended with a semi-final defeat to Argentina in an acrimonious match in Qatar.