Sir Alex Ferguson Comments on Louis van Gaal, Marcus Rashford, More

Manchester United’s legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson has given his support to current boss Louis van Gaal and hailed the Dutchman for the development of young players such as Marcus Rashford, who he described as a "sensation."

In a season in which the Red Devils have largely underwhelmed, Van Gaal has come under a lot of pressure, with results and the style of play far from good enough for a lot of supporters. But Ferguson has insisted there have been extenuating circumstances for the manager to cope with this term, per Sky Sports (h/t Carl Markham of the Press Association, via the MailOnline):

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You have to be realistic about some things—the number of injuries he has had: Phil Jones has played only seven games this season, Ashley Young, (Antonio) Valencia, (Luke) Shaw, these are big losses.

It doesn't matter which team you are, if you have players missing of that calibre it has to have an impact on the team.

The other aspect which is always easy to forget there are also five new players in their first season at United, and two are young players in (Anthony) Martial and Memphis (Depay) and their promise is good.

You have to have some patience being a Manchester United fan and they have shown that over the years; in Matt Busby's time, in my time.

For 150 years of history it is worth having a couple of years on the quiet side of success because they will always come back and come back strong.

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While United are a club that have always professed patience when it comes to the manager, Van Gaal still should be held to the same standards as other managers at similar sized clubs as well as his predecessors.

Indeed, what’s riled many who frequent Old Trafford is the manner in which the man he replaced, David Moyes, was cast aside in his first season despite not being privy to the same funds as the Dutchman. Results, in the main, haven’t been too different between the two managers, either.

However, Daniel Harris of the Guardian thinks Van Gaal has the edge on the former, as he’s given United more memorable moments, like their derby victory over Manchester City last time out:

Another area he’s excelled in is bringing young players into the side, with the former Ajax boss showing a willingness to hand academy talents who are good enough a chance in the senior team. Rashford, who has evidently impressed Ferguson, is a prime example of that.

“You have to give him credit, he's given nine young players their debut,” said Ferguson of Van Gaal. "Rashford is an example of what I think is Manchester United. They are the one club in England who will always identify a Rashford and give a young kid a chance—there is no better club in England at giving young kids a chance. Rashford is a sensation and one of the best in years.”

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Players like the 18-year-old are synonymous with the Old Trafford club, who dominated the Premier League for long spells following the emergence of the revered “Class of 92” at the spine of the side. 

As sports journalist Teddy Cutler noted, there’s something enamouring about the enthusiasm and rawness with which the striker plays the game:

Some managers certainly wouldn’t have thought about turning to Rashford given his tender years. One man who would have been reluctant to give him a go is Jose Mourinho, who has been linked with the United post this summer; according to El Pais (h/t Ed Aarons of the Guardian), a pre-contract has already been agreed.

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But his record of giving bright young attackers a chance leaves much to be desired. Sports journalist Ted Knutson lamented his conservativeness in the case of Chelsea man Bertrand Traore:

Given just how well things turned out for Ferguson after a rocky start to his managerial tenure, the legendary Scotsman is always going to preach for calm and consistency. But it’d be naive to ignore what’s been plainly obvious for a lot of this season; while Rashford’s emergence has been wonderfully refreshing, United have been the antithesis of that for long spells this term.

United will also be wary of being outstripped by other sides. Their local rivals City already have Pep Guardiola lined up for 2016-17, Jurgen Klopp will have Liverpool in much better shape, while teams like Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are emerging forces. The Red Devils can’t afford to be left behind.