Louis Van Gaal Right to Point out It Could Take 3 Years to Rebuild Man Utd

There's been a feeling of suspended excitement around Manchester United this season. Every week, the fans turn up hoping this will be the game when everything clicks.

A new manager and £155 million worth of summer signings come with a lot of expectations—especially when players like Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao are added to a squad that already boasts Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Juan Mata.

But, for whatever reason, it hasn't happened yet. There have been flashes against Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, Everton and even Chelsea. But it's still a work in process. You only need to look at the league table to realise that.

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During the summer, Van Gaal said it would take three months before his players fully understood his methods. During the Dutchman's first season at Bayern Munich, it was a 4-1 win at Juventus in December 2009—five months after he took over—that he says was the turning point.

But ahead of Crystal Palace's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, Van Gaal told the Manchester Evening News the process at United could take the entire length of his three-year contract.

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I feel for the fans and also the board because they have belief in me, my staff, and my players. Thirteen points from 10 matches, you are not doing well, but we are in a process.

As I have said from the beginning, even when we won five games in the US, the process shall take more than one year. It shall take three years, I hope, though that is dependent on lots of things. But I think we will make it happen, that we will win a lot of matches.

I have the experience that people have great belief in what we are doing now, in the way we are playing football. When I am in the streets I am surrounded by very positive things, and when I'm in a car from United, there are lots of positive people.

I'm feeling lousy for everyone that we have 13 points from 10 games. When I want to select the same line-up, I cannot. It's the same every week.

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It's a brave statement for Van Gaal to make in what is something of a low moment after defeat in the Manchester derby last weekend. It would have been easier for him to say the turning point was right around the corner while urging the fans to stick with it. But he chose to be honest instead. 

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Three years is a long time. But Van Gaal isn't just aiming for a few consecutive wins or a brief title challenge. 

He's not even aiming to win the odd trophy. He's been appointed to return United to where they were, which is dominating domestically and challenging in the Champions League. That's where they were at the height of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure, and so it becomes the benchmark of success. And it's going to take longer than three months to get there.

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Van Gaal's declaration will have done little to quell the excitement of the fans, who at least feel they are watching a team heading, slowly but surely, in the right direction. But it's a reminder of the size of the job he's taken on.

Van Gaal is trying to return United to the top of European football after inheriting what was the seventh best team in England last season. And even he needs longer than a few months to do that.