Louis van Gaal is KNVB's top pick to replace De Boer

Louis van Gaal is the most likely candidate to become the next coach of the Dutch men’s football team. The Dutch football association KNVB completed its internal evaluation following Oranje's shocking exit from the Euro 2020 and concluded that an experienced coach was necessary to ensure Oranje qualify for the 2022 World Cup, AD reported.

Van Gaal has already led the team twice. He coached the team when they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2002. A decade later, Van Gaal returned to successfully lead the country through the 2014 World Cup qualifications, winning nine of their ten matches and drawing one.

That year, the Netherlands surprised many by advancing to the semi-finals of the World Cup. After winning all group stage matches, they shocked Mexico with a come-from-behind victory in the Round of 16 scoring twice at the end of the match to win 2-1. Van Gaal also deployed an unusual strategy by substituting out goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for Tim Krul right at the end of extra time in the match against Costa Rica. Krul stopped two penalties to push the Netherlands into the semis, where they lost against Argentina, also on penalties.

This September, The Netherlands is set to play three games that could be decisive in the qualification campaign for the 2022 World Cup. Oranje will try to secure a spot in the tournament in games against Norway, Montenegro and Turkey, the current group front-runner.

According to AD, the KNVB emphasized that the Netherlands needed a coach who already has experience working with the national team. Because the team can afford almost no mistakes in the upcoming matches, the KNVB is leaning more towards someone who knows the players and won't take too long to get used to the environment.

Van Gaal’s coaching career ended in 2016 at Manchester United. Since then, he's been occasionally analyzing football matches on RTL Sport.

Oranje's previous coach Frank De Boer stepped down following the team's disappointing loss against Czech Republic round 16 of the European Championship 2020. He was initially supposed to carry the team through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

An exit clause in his contract allowed either side to sever the agreement if Orange did not manage to secure a quarterfinals spot in the European Championships.