Upon his arrival at Manchester United in 2014, Louis van Gaal's target for the forthcoming season was simple - get the club back in the Champions League following a disastrous campaign that had seen them finish in seventh place. It was their lowest position since the FA Cup-winning side of 1990.
To Van Gaal's credit, while injuries forced him to chop and change his starting lineup virtually every week, he guided the team to fourth place, owing largely to an impressive March and April when the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool were all beaten in quick succession.
Now, though, much more will be expected of the players and their Dutch manager, who forked out over £100m on new players last summer and is expected to do the same before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Can Van Gaal transform United from top-four hopefuls into title contenders again? Here, Sports Mole assesses the likelihood of that coming to fruition.
In
Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Matteo Darmian (Torino), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton), Sergio Romero (Sampdoria)
Out
Tom Cleverley (Everton), Ben Amos (Bolton Wanderers), Tom Thorpe (Released), Saidy Janko (Celtic), Nani (Fenerbahce), Will Keane (Preston North End, season-long loan), Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce)
Last season - 4th
Manager - Louis van Gaal
© Getty Images
The 63-year-old's methods are not everyone's cup of tea, but what cannot be disputed is the fact that he is not afraid to make big decisions. While his predecessor Moyes was considered to have been frightened to make a controversial call for fear of the backlash, Van Gaal thought little last season of using Marouane Fellaini as a centre-forward or playing Robin van Persie in midfield. Whether it worked or not, Van Gaal stuck to his guns.
It is that type of trait that has seen Van Gaal win league titles in Spain, Germany and his native Netherlands. He knows what it takes to win domestic honours, but England is arguably the hardest of them all to prosper in. One thing that he will almost certainly need to abandon is the 3-5-2 formation. It looked alien to his players whenever it was deployed last season, with a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 looking much more favourable.
Key Player - Wayne Rooney
With Van Persie and Radamel Falcao gone and Van Gaal not expected to recruit another out-and-out centre-forward, there is a huge onus on Rooney to score goals on a regular basis. The arrivals of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin should mean the Rooney in midfield experiment is now shelved, with his sole focus on finding the back of the net. The last time that the captain played as a forward all season was back in 2011-12 and he responded to the responsibility by scoring 34 goals in all competitions.
On a personal level, Rooney will also have a landmark in his sights. As it stands he is 19 short of Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 249 goals for United. If by the end of the campaign he is the club's leading goalscorer of all time, it may well have been a successful season for the 29-year-old and the Red Devils.
© Getty Images
Possible starting lineup
De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Shaw; Schweinsteiger, Carrick; Young, Mata, Depay; Rooney
First game: Tottenham Hotspur (H) Full fixture list
Sports Mole says
For the first time since perhaps 2008, United will be the envy of other clubs with the midfield options that are available to Van Gaal. Yet, while that area has been addressed, they still seem to be lacking in other key parts of the pitch. A dominant centre-back to partner Chris Smalling wouldn't go amiss, while a long-term injury to Rooney could cause big problems. Then, there is also David de Gea and the goalkeeper's reported yearning for Real Madrid to consider.
All that said, there is also reason for optimism. As mentioned, the midfield unit is strong and having a fully fit Luke Shaw at left-back will also be a massive boost. On the other flank Matteo Darmian appears to be a steadying influence, while Ander Herrera and Ashley Young have flourished under Van Gaal's management since the turn of the year. But, as it stands, whether enough improvements have been made to the squad to better last year's fourth-placed finish is debatable.
