Louis van Gaal has said that Manchester City's financial breaches were linked to his Manchester United sacking, as the club missed out on Champions League qualification by finishing fifth in 2016, with City taking the fourth spot.
Van Gaal's final season at Old Trafford
The Dutchman spent two years at Old Trafford, but a fifth-place finish in 2016 proved decisive, and he was replaced by Jose Mourinho. His final game was the FA Cup final, where United beat Crystal Palace, but he was dismissed 24 hours later following a poor league campaign that saw the team fall outside the top four on goal difference.
City edged them to fourth, and Van Gaal believes that league position was "the deciding factor" in his dismissal. His frustration has grown after City were found guilty of 114 financial breaches from 2009 to 2018.
Van Gaal's comments on the verdict
Speaking to The Athletic, Van Gaal said: "For me, at the time, that (missing out on the Champions League in 2016) was probably the deciding factor in my dismissal from Manchester United and all the consequences and suffering this entailed."
City have appealed the verdict, but Van Gaal said: "I cannot turn back history now. Not even the English Football Association can (do that)."
United's own failings and Van Gaal's record
United took four points from their two league meetings with City in 2015/16, drawing at Old Trafford and winning at the Etihad with a young Marcus Rashford scoring the only goal. However, they lost control of their top-four fate in the penultimate game of the season, losing at West Ham, which gave City the breathing room they needed.
Van Gaal left United with 54 wins from 103 games, a 52 percent win rate. He was the second permanent manager after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, replacing David Moyes after the 2014 World Cup. He finished fourth in his first season but could not repeat that in his second.
