Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United will face Chelsea at Old Trafford later today, marking only the second time the Dutchman has faced his former apprentice from Barcelona.
The first time being the 2-0 Champions League Final defeat to Mourinho’s Inter Milan side whilst in charge at Bayern Munich in 2010, and last night, Van Gaal spoke about his ex-colleague with praise and admiration of his work, saying that Mourinho is ‘one of the top managers in the world’.
“Of course. Maybe he hasn’t won as many titles as I have won but in a shorter time he has won the championship in more than three countries (four – Portugal, England, Italy and Spain),” Van Gaal acknowledged.
“I am the next on three (Holland, Spain and Germany) and I also want to do it here, then I am equal again. I think he is one of the top managers in the world.”
The 63-year-old also commended Chelsea summer signing Cesc Fabregas, a player who was well on the wish-list of Van Gaal’s predecessor David Moyes.
Van Gaal said: “He is a very interesting player and he can also dominate a game. He makes a big part of the attacking play of Chelsea.
“I didn’t know he was linked with Manchester United before my arrival but you can’t buy for the sake of buying. You have to give the chance to the players you have bought.”
Kick-Off is scheduled at 16:00 this afternoon, with expectations high for Chelsea, and Van Gaal desperately needing all three points.
By Ollie Carroll
Twitter: @Ollie_Carroll_
