adminLONDON. — Manchester United will not name their new manager this week. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal is odds-on favourite, but refused to answer questions at his country’s pre-World Cup training camp yesterday. Sky sources understand that an official announcement from Manchester United confirming van Gaal as the club’s next manager is not expected until next week.
It was anticipated United would reveal the identity of David Moyes’s successor after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Hull.
However, BBC Sport has also learned that will not be the case, with the news unlikely to be revealed before Sunday’s Premier League game at Southampton.
Dutch national team boss Van Gaal is leaving his role after Brazil 2014, but would not reply to a question about his future from BBC Sport’s chief sports news correspondent Dan Roan in the Netherlands.
Van Gaal’s side begin their preparations this week, with domestic players meeting at a secluded hotel near the small Dutch town of Hoenderloo for the start of a three-day get-together.
The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday next week, by which time more should be known about his future beyond this summer.
The Netherlands have friendlies against Ecuador, Ghana and Wales in the coming weeks before heading to Brazil for the World Cup, and Van Gaal will be eager to avoid distractions.
Meanwhile, it is understood Giggs will meet with United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward tomorrow for discussions about his future role.
Contrary to speculation, the 40-year-old has yet to accept any coaching position with the Old Trafford outfit.
Indeed, Giggs’ entire future remains unknown.
After introducing himself as a second-half substitute against Hull, when he set up United’s third goal for Robin van Persie, he revealed it was still to be decided whether he would extend his playing career by another year.
Giggs has already ruled out the possibility of playing for another club, meaning his 963rd appearance for his only professional club could turn out to be his last.
And he is not on his own in waiting to discover if he has a future at United.
Giggs and defenders Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra are yet to be offered contract extensions.
Giggs says he is still to decide about his Manchester United future despite making what appeared to be a farewell appearance in a 3-1 win over Hull City.
Giggs, the club’s current interim manager, sent himself on as a 70th-minute substitute in Tuesday night’s English Premier League game at Old Trafford, which was United’s last home fixture of the campaign.
The 40-year-old mid-fielder’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, but he made no mention of his future in a post-match address to the crowd.
Speaking to journalists afterwards, he explained that he had not reached a decision about whether to hang up his boots after a 23-year United career in which he has made a record 963 appearances for the club.
“I’ve not decided yet,” he said.
“Nothing has changed. I’ll wait until the season has finished and then get a holiday and think about it in the next couple of weeks.”
On Ferdinand and Evra, whose contracts are also due to expire but who did not feature against Hull, Giggs added: “It is not as if they are young players and they are up in the air.
“If they carry on, they carry on; if they leave, they leave. New players are going to come in anyway, whether they stay or go. It is up in the air, but in the next couple of weeks, I think it will get sorted for the three of us.” — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter