Louis van Gaal Reportedly on Manchester United 'Trial' as Club Ponder New Deal

Manchester United are still unsure whether they’ll offer manager Louis van Gaal a contract extension, with the Dutchman apparently being “on trial” at Old Trafford.

According to Jeremy Cross of the Daily Star, Van Gaal is keen to extend his current deal, which runs until 2017, with the Red Devils. However, the club’s owners, the Glazer family, are apparently assessing whether they should offer the 64-year-old some additional years at the club.

A club source, quoted in Cross’ piece, explained Van Gaal’s current status with the Premier League giants:

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The manager is enjoying the challenge at the club and is willing to extend his deal to delay his retirement from the game.

But the fact is he still has to convince bosses he is worth a contract extension. He won't be handed one on a plate and it is almost as if he is on trial.

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Despite his obvious pedigree, having managed teams such as Ajax, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and the Netherlands, the jury does seem to be out on Van Gaal in the eyes of supporters.

A lot of the things he’s done at the club have left a lot to be desired. In the transfer market, he’s been hit and miss, with last season’s marquee summer signings of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao bombed out of Old Trafford after just one season. His man-management style has also been questioned by some recently, reported by the Mirror, while the meticulous build-up play Van Gaal favours doesn't seem suited to English football.

Indeed, up until recently, the Dutchman’s results on the field were not too dissimilar to his much-maligned predecessor, David Moyes, despite being afforded a much greater backing in the transfer window, per Bleacher Report UK:

There have been signs in the past few weeks that United are ready to turn things around. The summer captures of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin have addressed a longstanding problem in central midfield, and Matteo Darmian has proved himself to be a steady operator at right-back.

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Young players such as Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial have hit the ground running too. The latter especially—although the £36 million paid by United was widely criticised—looks a tremendous acquisition and a player who has settled brilliantly under Van Gaal’s tutelage.

Indeed, the Dutchman has revealed his multilingual skills have helped expedite Martial’s integration into the United squad, per Sam Cunningham of the Daily Mail:

Van Gaal seems to be slowly learning about English football too. In the last few games, the stagnant passing that saw United bogged down in their early encounters gave way to a much more dynamic, daring style of play. With Martial and Memphis leading the charge, the Old Trafford crowd seem to be enjoying the manner in which the team has been going about their football.

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As noted by football writer Liam Canning, it’s not just playing style where Van Gaal is refining his approach to the English game, either:

The reputation of Van Gaal was always going to earn him a little more time than Moyes, and although doubts remain, the impression from the majority of those at Old Trafford is that this team is making steady progress under the Dutchman.

Van Gaal will likely want to continue managing the club beyond the three years he signed up for, especially to oversee the development of vibrant talents such as Martial and Memphis. If the Red Devils can push on and mount a serious title challenge in the months to come, all parties will surely be keen to further the current arrangement.