Dutch gaffer Louis van Gaal’s unfortunate motorbike accident has left him wheelchair-bound for the foreseeable future. The mishap, however, didn’t seem to deter the Dutchman’s spirits, who was spotted overseeing his side’s preparations in a golf buggy!
The Oranje need all but a draw in their upcoming encounter against Norway to qualify for the World Cup next year. But their preparations were momentarily disrupted as their 70-year-old boss was diagnosed with a hip injury after he lost control of his bike while trying to park it.
Van Gaal, who is often called the “Iron-Tulip” for his no-nonsense style, displayed great courage despite the pain he is having to endure.
Having been forced to attend to his media commitments online, he stated: “Physically I’m not good, but the brain is still working. I’m in a lot of pain, that’s why I was in a buggy during training. I can still do everything and have done all the preparation that I normally would have.”
The Dutch supporters let out a collective sigh of relief having seen their boss getting back to business. Netherlands skipper Virgil Van Dijk too expressed his concerns over Van Gaal’s injury, claiming that while the news was shocking to the players, there weren’t many hindrances caused since the tenacious manager wasn’t absent for long before resuming his duties of guiding the team.
The footage of the Dutchman riding around the ground on the Golf cart has garnered much praise from fans who applauded his sincerity on the job.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal suffered a hip injury when he fell off his bicycle this week, so he took training from a golf cart. You can’t keep a good man down. pic.twitter.com/eWgN4cekWx
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) November 15, 2021
The Netherlands are still atop group G. With one foot inside the door, they’ll be looking to successfully see off Norway in Rotterdam and guarantee their World Cup qualification for 2022.