Dutch veteran coach Louis van Gaal confirmed that he does not rule out the possibility of returning once again to lead his country's national team, amid speculation about who will succeed Ronald Koeman in the position.
Van Gaal, who will turn 75 next Saturday, coached the Dutch national team three times previously, the first between 2000 and 2001, before leading them to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup.
The veteran coach then returned to take on the task in 2022, leading the team to the quarter-finals, and has not worked permanently since then, having overcome cancer and served as an advisor to the board of directors of Ajax Amsterdam club.
Van Gaal said in an interview with the Dutch magazine "Voetbal International": "I always want to help the Dutch Football Association, just as I wanted to do with Ajax club."
He added: "With a squad like this, there are possibilities, and I believe the Netherlands is still capable of winning the European Championship or the World Cup, because 95 percent of the players play abroad, most of them at good clubs."
On the other hand, Van Gaal indicated that there had been no contact with the Dutch Football Association after Koeman resigned as national team coach following the Netherlands' loss to Morocco in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup.
Van Gaal continued: "The only thing happening is that they cannot find anyone at the moment, and then my name comes up again; I find that somewhat unbelievable."
He concluded: "Four years ago at the World Cup in Qatar, we lost on penalties in the quarter-finals and (they) did not think the football we played was good enough, and now these people see me as the ideal man? Anyway, I have no idea at all what the Dutch Football Association wants, and I have already held the position of national team coach three times."
