Van Gaal did not agree to Yang Yang's invitation on the spot. Yang Yang had been prepared for that and did not mind.
After all, he was still Manchester United's Head Coach. Before his contract with Manchester United expired, he would not casually make promises to anyone else.
However, Yang Yang was confident that if Van Gaal left Manchester United this summer, he would choose to return to Ajax as long as he was not invited by an upper-tier team from one of the Four Major Leagues.
When all was said and done, he was already sixty-five.
Once people reached a certain age, many things became difficult. That applied to playing football, and it applied to coaching as well.
After meeting Van Gaal again and having a long conversation with him, Yang Yang clearly sensed his old age.
More than ten years earlier, Van Gaal had been in his prime. He had only been able to rise again through Alkmaar because he had suffered repeated setbacks. But now he was already sixty-five, long past that age.
Returning to familiar Netherlands, returning to familiar Ajax, and returning to the familiar position of Technical Director suited him very well.
Yang Yang stayed at Van Gaal's home for a day before returning to Madrid from Manchester that evening.
Real Madrid's next opponent was Barcelona!
La Liga had long since lost its suspense. Real Madrid's title victory was an undisputed fact, but Barcelona still wanted to break its unfavorable record against Real Madrid over the past few years. Enrique had also declared early on that they would fight for their dignity.
Coincidentally, both of this season's La Liga El Clásico matches had been scheduled after National Team match days.
The first had been in the twelfth round, immediately after the National Team match