Ince: FA Cup win should save Van Gaal

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince said his former employers should give manager Louis van Gaal the chance to see out the third and final year of his contract if he wins the FA Cup on Saturday.

United will be hoping to end a poor season on a high note with some silverware at Wembley when they take on Crystal Palace.

And should they claim the famous trophy, Ince said Van Gaal would have done enough to warrant another season at the club, despite a fifth-place Premier League finish and a terrible Champions League campaign which failed to go beyond the group stage.

Ince likened the situation at United to that which he played in under Alex Ferguson in 1990.

“Go back to Fergie in 1990. If we hadn’t won the FA Cup he might not have kept his job. That was the rumour but we will never know,” Ince said on behalf of William Hill.

“I’ve been a manager myself and I don’t want United to get a reputation for sacking managers. They didn’t give David Moyes a chance and there is talk of Van Gaal getting sacked.

“But I say give him a chance to continue building something. He’s been at some great clubs, won trophies at all of them, and you have got to respect his record. Remember, he’s been on a learning curve about English football and the club has been in transition. Hopefully he’s learned everything he needs to know now.

“With the millions and millions they have spent they should have qualified for the Champions League. That is a major disappointment but doesn’t mean they should sack him and bring in someone who would rip up everything again. Winning the Cup would certainly help his cause.

“I’m all for continuity. Let him go again next season and if it doesn’t work, then make a change.”

Should they keep Van Gaal, Ince said the Dutchman would have to spend big again to get United back in Premier League and European contention.

“The game has changed but United have lost that aura. We used to beat teams just by lining up in the tunnel,” he said.

“They need five or six new players and they have got to play more attacking football and score more goals.”