Ryan Giggs faces D-Day talks with Louis van Gaal to decide Manchester United future

Louis van Gaal will meet with Ryan Giggs for crunch talks about the Manchester United legend's future

The Holland boss will leave his World Cup training base to meet Giggs in a secret European destination



Van Gaal will officially be unveiled as United's new manager on Thursday or Friday



Phil Neville and Chris Woods will definitely leave the coaching staff



Nicky Butt and, perhaps, Paul Scholes will head back to the Under 18s

Van Gaal is expected to offer Giggs a role but the Welshman may not take it



New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will meet with Ryan Giggs to thrash out the Old Trafford legend’s future at the club.

The veteran Dutch coach will leave the Holland squad’s training base near Amsterdam and travel to a secret destination in Europe to meet with Giggs and United chief executive Ed Woodward.

Van Gaal will officially be unveiled as United’s new manager Thursday or Friday and the club will then reveal who will join the 62-year-old on the coaching staff.

VIDEO Scroll down for Holland coach Louis van Gaal names World Cup squad



Showdown: Ryan Giggs wiill meet with Louis van Gaal for crunch talks over his Manchester United future

Incoming: Van Gaal, expected to be announced as United boss, will talk with Giggs about his role

With Phil Neville and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods on the way out and Nicky Butt, and perhaps Paul Scholes, expected to head back to coach the club’s Under 18s, it is Giggs’ future that remains shrouded in doubt. Van Gaal is expected to offer the 40-year-old a coaching role at the meeting and will tell him that he wants someone on the staff who knows the club and its players.

However, whether or not Giggs decides to stay will depend on whether he thinks the role he is offered is senior enough. He has already indicated privately that he will not stick around if he thinks he is not going to be a fundamental part of the set-up.

Van Gaal is currently in the thick of preparing the Dutch team for a friendly with Ecuador on Saturday and the World Cup finals in Brazil next month.

On the block: Phil Neville has left and Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt are facing questions over their future

Switch: Van Gaal announced his Holland team will play a 5-3-2 at the World Cup in Brazil

He revealed a shock change in tactics, from the traditional Dutch 4-3-3 to a seemingly more defensive 5-3-2, at a press conference in Hoenderloo on Tuesday — but refused to say much about United.

‘That is for Manchester United to comment on,’ he said.



‘No, I would not say anything about it. I am here for the Dutch team, not as coach of Manchester United. You’ll have to wait until the process is finished or (put) questions to Manchester United — or perhaps to another club. I cannot say anything further.’

The Dutch players have a day off Wednesday, enabling Van Gaal to meet with Giggs and Woodward to discuss the way forward.

Different directions: Phil Neville (left) will be cut from the coaching staff, though he hasn't been told formally, while Paul Scholes will have a meeting on Thursday to discuss his future role at the club

Scholes will attend a meeting at the club on Thursday but MailOnline revealed that Neville and Woods will not be retained by Van Gaal, even though Neville was at Carrington Tuesday and has still not been informed officially.

Neville and Woods got the news minutes after Rio Ferdinand was informed by Woodward his United career was over in the dressing room at Southampton on Sunday. Neville was approached by Woodward as he emerged from the shower. He wasn’t told he too was finished at Old Trafford but he might as well have been.



Woodward said there might be a role for him outside the first team; possibly in the academy.



Woods was then approached outside the dressing room.



Woodward told him that another goalkeeping coach was coming in — it is already known Van Gaal wants to bring Frank Hoek from the Dutch national set-up — and that his first team duties had been terminated.



Bearer: United chief Ed Woodward broke the news to Neville in the dressing room after Sunday's game

Woods will also discuss exactly what that means towards the end of this week, but Neville and Woods certainly believe their time at the club is over.



The whole episode left Giggs, his coaches and players, stunned at Woodward’s insensitivity.

When United do announce Van Gaal’s arrival, it is unlikely there will be a press conference.

Instead, Van Gaal will leave Woodward to work on agreed summer transfer targets and go about his summer business with the Holland team.

Woodward’s performance in the transfer market came in for some harsh criticism Tuesday from United legend Roy Keane.

Critic: Former United skipper Roy Keane criticised Woodward for his transfer policy

‘Why give Moyes a six-year contract? He had one transfer window, and it’s not always down to the manager when players don’t come in. I think Ed Woodward needs to look at himself. He’s got to get deals done.’

And Woodward could face an awkward time on Thursday when United’s first quarter financial results are announced. There could be some tricky questions from investors over the hiring and firing of David Moyes and the club’s patchy performance in the transfer market.



Graeme Souness thinks it will take United four transfer windows to turn the club’s fortunes round. He said on Sky Sports: ‘It’s not a given that United will be back in the top four, whoever is the manager.



Top target: Southampton and England left back Luke Shaw has been linked with a £27m move

‘It’s not a quick fix.



‘I think it’s a minimum of four transfer windows — if it goes well — before Manchester United get back to where they want to be and should be. I’m talking about winning big trophies’

Former United captain Gary Neville told Sky Sports the club need to be careful who they buy.

Neville said: ‘If he [Van Gaal] decides he wants eight players, that doesn’t mean he should go and buy eight players.

Switch: Robin van Persie was involved in the decision to switch Holland to a 5-3-2 formation

‘Signing three or four real top quality — and improving next season, bedding them in and then going again with two or three more the year after, is the organic approach I would expect Manchester United to have.

‘However, I didn’t expect Manchester United to sack a manager after ten months, so what’s going to happen in the next few months, who knows?’