Hindsight, as they say, is a wonderful thing and they're correct. So, given that we're blessed with that gift at the moment, we're going to revel in it. Stability was needed after the failure of the David Moyes regime. Ed Woodward and the rest of the Man United suits looked for a steady hand and they're search brought them to Louis van Gaal.
A return to the father figure leadership of a Ferguson-esque figure was what the club needed. It wasn't a long term solution but neither was it a quick fix. He'd come in, steady the ship and build for the future before handing things off to someone else with Champions League football secured and a young squad that needed very little tweaking to be turned into champions once again.
For that to happen, the Man United board was adamant he needed three years. Now that his second year in charge is coming to an end, you'd have to think they may be looking upon that decision with quite a bit of regret.
The talk from quite a few corners this weekend was that either (a) Mourinho to United is a done deal or (b) if it's not all signed up, it's extremely close to that point. While that may well be the case, the reality of the matter is that it's just as likely (if not more so) that Jorge Mendes is pulling some strings once again and either trying to pressurise United into making an official offer to his client or trying to pressurise another club to 'swoop in' at the last minute and convince Mourinho that his next demolition rebuilding job lies away from Old Trafford.
While plenty of reports in the English press over the weekend suggesting that Mourinho was moving ever closer to the Old Trafford hotseat, others, including the Sunday Times, have reported that no such deal is in place and judging by what Van Gaal himself had to say over the weekend, it's looking quite possible that the constant death knell will have to continue for quite some time yet before it is proved to be correct.
The incumbent United boss was asked if he expected to be put through the wringer quite so much and in response, not only was he as confident as ever but he also revealed that he never wanted a three year contract.
That is why they have hired me and also we have spoken about that. And also we have a process of three years. I want to sign for two years, they want three years, not I. I have signed for three years so next year you see me again.
But what of the looming spectre of Mourinho?
That’s not any problem for me. You can write everything that you want. But you can’t sack a manager for six months and I’m still here. You can’t do that.
The 'sex masochism' may have received all the attention this weekend but, in the long term, it's likely to be Van Gaal's admission that he had to be convinced his project would take three years to complete that has the most lasting impact on United's future. The Mourinho stories are going nowhere but judging by those quotes, either is Van Gaal.
