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If Charlie Austin scores this weekend, Manchester United fans will go mental

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Charlie Austin of QPR scores his sides fourth goal from the penalty spot during the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United at Loftus Road on August 22, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 22: Charlie Austin of QPR scores his sides fourth goal from the penalty spot during the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United at Loftus Road on August 22, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) /
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Southampton manager Ronald Koeman says his new striker Charlie Austin will be in the squad this weekend against Manchester United

God help Louis van Gaal if Charlie Austin scores a meaningful goal for Southampton against Manchester United this weekend. United fans won’t be able to contain their contempt for the egotistical manager if a player they could have purchased so easily deals a blow to their Champions League hopes.

You have to see the potential story line coming here from a mile away. Van Gaal, the manager who claims to always know best about everything from tactics to personnel, could be done in by a local striker that he entirely ignored. If Austin does find the back of the net at Old Trafford, van Gaal might not make it out of the stadium alive.

Austin is scheduled to be in the squad with his new club, Southampton, as they take on United this weekend. He joined the Saints for a reported transfer bid of just four million pounds. That’s the type of money that van Gaal and United leave in the couch cushions at the club. One can be sure that signing such an ordinary, obvious solution to supplement his attack force never crossed van Gaal’s mind.

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Instead, he focuses on exotic products from overseas to supplement his squad whenever possible. Instead of giving the opportunity to take Angel Di Maria’s spot to incumbent Jesse Lingard, he splashed big money on Memphis Depay. Instead of purchasing an additional centre back, van Gaal chose to deploy Daley Blind in an unnatural position. The man is wholly incapable of taking the obvious solution, even if it’s the right thing to do.

That’s what makes the thought of Austin scoring against United this weekend so potentially damaging for the United manager. There’s already a distinct murmur about his style of play at Old Trafford and some fans are just waiting for a flash point where they can justifiably explode in protest. Having an English striker do them in at home would be just the excuse those fans need to lose all patience with van Gaal.

Louis van Gaal should pray each night this week that his defense can silence Charlie Austin and keep him goalless this weekend. If his defense fails to do that, then any fan who might be keeping their discontent with the United manager silent will immediately cease to do so. Charlie Austin could be the man who does van Gaal in at Manchester United.

What do you think would happen if Austin scores a critical goal this weekend? Would it turn the heat up on van Gaal? Could it possibly lead to him being fired? Let us know in the comments field below.

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