TheCable

Louis Van Gaal, the Manchester United manager, has revealed that he paid for Finidi George’s transfer in 1993 from his own pocket.

George moved from Sharks of Port Harcourt to Ajax International in 1993 in a £3,000 deal and went on to play 85 games for the Dutch club, scoring 18 goals from his position as a winger.

Van Gaal, in an interview with UK’s Telegraph, said Ajax, which he led to three Dutch league titles and a Champions League trophy, was bankrupt at the time.

“We didn’t have any money and we were bankrupt, so I had to look to youth. We scouted [Jari] Litmanen, a Finnish player, who we bought for £10,000,” he said.

“We also bought Finidi George. He was a Nigerian international. He was £3,000. I paid it by myself! And then, we bought Marc Overmars.

“But the names that you do remember are [Clarance] Seedorf, [Patrick] Kluivert, [Michael] Reiziger. We won everything with very attacking football. I don’t say it too much because otherwise Mr Scholes will be very angry!”

Scholes, a Manchester United legend, had recently criticised van Gaal for not playing attractive football, saying he wouldn’t like to play in the current Manchester United team.