Brands: PSV almost appointed Van Gaal

PSV Eindhoven director of football Marcel Brands believes Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was close to joining the club before taking over as Netherlands coach three years ago.

Van Gaal had been out of work for more than a year prior to being appointed as Netherlands manager for a second time in 2012.

Van Gaal moved on to Manchester United shortly after he led his home country to third place at the 2014 World Cup, guiding the Premier League side back into the Champions League during his first season at Old Trafford.

Fall-outs with manager Ronald Koeman and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic while at Ajax early in his career tainted an otherwise positive spell with the Dutch giants, episodes that Brands believes put paid to the chances of him joining PSV.

"Van Gaal was interested and I think he would have come," the PSV chief told Voetbal International.

"I think he would have been a great manager for PSV, but not everyone inside the club agreed with me.

"There were a lot of mixed feelings about him at the club. Louis had problems when he resigned at Ajax as football director. That was all very sensitive."