New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal got a blooming good welcome to the North-West when a team of expert florists put together a stunning mural of his face with 25,000 tulips on behalf of bookmaker William Hill.
The red, white and purple flowers were shipped from van Gaal’s native Holland and the green fingered lads and lasses started work at 6am to ensure the stunning attraction was ready to coincide with his first day in the job.
The 18ft by 12ft portrait of the 62-year-old’s image stopped people in their tracks at Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens, shortly after he oversaw a training session at Carrington.
Ex-Holland head coach van Gaal was unveiled at a press conference this afternoon.
To celebrate his unveiling in the iconic hotseat, William Hill is also offering a special price of 3/1 for van Gaal to win his first three Premier League games next month – starting with Swansea at home on August 16, before two games on the road at Sunderland and newly-promoted Burnley.
United’s title odds were slashed from 8/1 to 6/1 following van Gaal’s appointment. After guiding Holland to third place in the World Cup – thanks in no small part to the endeavours of Red Devils striker Robin van Persie – those odds were trimmed further to 5/1.
Rivals and reigning champions Manchester City remain favourites at 7/4.
The highly-successful veteran has 19 major honours under his belt and is the permanent successor to David Moyes, who was dismissed in April.
Premier League Outright Odds: 7/4 Man City, 15/8 Chelsea, 5/1 Man Utd, 13/2 Arsenal, 9/1 Liverpool, 50/1 Tottenham …
http://sports.williamhill.com/bet/en-gb/betting/e/6003148/English-Premier-League-2014+15—Outright.html