Manchester United fans discovered an unfamiliar sense of happiness when the club topped the Premier League for the first time in over two years.
The team’s output this season is showing some semblance of the successful United teams of years gone by and a lot of that is down to the manager, Louis van Gaal.
Things seem to be very much clicking at Old Trafford, so United fans may be keen for the Dutchman to extend his current deal beyond 2017, but Van Gaal has revealed that’s not very likely because of a promise to his wife.
“Normally I shall leave after next year but what is normal in our football world?” he said.
“You never know so I cannot answer that question but I promised my wife to go with her to our paradise (in Portugal) so it shall be very hard for me to deny that promise.
“I was 55 years old when I went to Bayern Munich and next year I am 65 and if I said that I’d stay a year longer, it shall be very hard on my wife!”
Maybe United fans can get Mrs Van Gaal some flowers if she lets Louis stay on – it worked at Sunderland, after all.