After waiting 27 years to appoint a new manager, Manchester United's attempts to fill the void left by Alex Ferguson focused on Louis van Gaal as the Dutchman succeeded David Moyes, who lost his job in April after enduring a miserable campaign in charge.

While Moyes arrived at Old Trafford without a major trophy to his name, Van Gaal, who will step down from his role as Netherlands coach after the forthcoming World Cup, comes with real European pedigree.

Making his name as a manager at Ajax, he led the Dutch club to three Eredivisie titles, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League.
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Van Gaal enjoyed further success at Barcelona guiding the side to back-to-back La Liga titles while another Eredivisie title followed at AZ Alkmaar, before he claimed a German league-and-cup double at Bayern Munich.

The Dutchman will be expected to take United back to the summit of English football after the club slipped from winning the Premier League title last season by a margin of 11 points to missing out on Champions League qualification this term, for the first time since 1995.

Despite Van Gaal's impressive track record, his appointment is potentially risky and Mehmet Scholl, who worked with the Dutchman during their time together at Bayern, warned United players not to expect an easy ride.