Fortune: “Fans have to be patient”

Former Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune has urged fans to remain patient over Louis van Gaal’s style of football and believes that “something special” will happen when things start to fall into place.

The Reds sit one point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City at the moment, but their draw against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League was the fifth goalless draw of the season, and van Gaal’s cautious tactics have attracted criticism from fans and pundits alike.

And the South African, who played for United between 1999 and 2006, admits that van Gaal’s philosophy is worlds away from the one employed by Sir Alex Ferguson, but he expects the Reds to improve as the season goes on.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:

The criticism is a little unfair because it’s impossible to live up to Sir Alex Ferguson, their greatest manager. It’s a different style compared to what we are used to, but he mentioned when he arrived that he was going to do it his way and we have to expect that. The style is not what fans expect at United but you have to be patient.

He’s a manager who likes to work with young players, as you can see at the moment, and he just needs a bit of time because put it all together. If you look at the season there are games when it has clicked. For example, against Everton we played really well and we saw some signs of what he’s capable of doing.

I’m waiting for everything to click. Once it clicks, we are going to see something really special. To be in the position we are in at the moment and not playing well, that’s a good sign. I expect United to kick on in the second part of the season and get stronger.

Fortune also believes that the Dutchman is laying the groundwork for long-term success at Old Trafford, citing his time at Bayern Munich as an example:

If you look at the success of Bayern Munich at the time he was there and the success they are having now under Pep Guardiola, that is all part of Van Gaal’s work as well, when he introduced [Franck] Ribery and [Arjen] Robben on the wings. I think Van Gaal is trying to find the best formula for the team to win.