Louis van Gaal has "mixed feelings" over Coach of the Year award

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confessed to having "mixed feelings" at being named Dutch Coach of the Year.

The 63-year-old guided the Netherlands to a third-place finish at this year's World Cup before taking over the Old Trafford hotseat.

However, during his acceptance speech at a gala in Amsterdam, Van Gaal admitted to being somewhat confused over his nomination for the accolade, and even considered not turning up for the event.

"I'm standing here with mixed feelings," he is quoted as saying by Goal.com. "We ended in third place, while there are many Olympic champions and world champions here tonight. Maybe I've won this award because of the media.

"I wasn't sure if I should turn up here tonight because footballers usually never win these kind of awards. But, in the end, I thought that you should always go if you are nominated and now I'm standing here as the winner."

Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben was crowned Sportsman of the Year at the awards ceremony.