Louis van Gaal could be set for a return to football management in Japan

Louis van Gaal is being lined up for a return to football management, over a year on from his departure from Manchester United.

Despite leading United to victory in the 2016 FA Cup final, the Dutchman's failure to secure Champions League football at Old Trafford last season saw him replaced by Jose Mourinho. It was widely believed that Van Gaal, who recently turned 66, would not return to management. Despite this, it's now being reported that Van Gaal is being targeted by Japanese club Vissel Kobe, as they look to bring in a new head coach. Tokyo's Sports Hochi Newspaper (via ESPN), claims that the club have identified the former Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Dutch national coach as the man to replace previous manager Nelsinho, who was dismissed earlier this week following a third consecutive J League defeat. Vissel Kobe recently completed a deal for former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski, who has scored twice in four appearances for his new club. Despite this, they have recently slipped to 11th place in the 18-team J League table and are currently 12-points off its top three. It's unclear at this stage if the club have made any contact with Van Gaal about the position. If he does take the job, it will be the first time he's managed a club outside of Europe.