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LONDON — Louis van Gaal is a fan of the rotation policy judging by his start to life as Manchester United manager.
The Dutchman has spent north of £150 million buying stars from across the globe but does not seem so sure how he is going to fit them all in, using 33 players in just five matches this season.
And 14 years after Claudio Ranieri, the original “Tinkerman”, was appointed as Chelsea boss on September 18, 2000, it seems fitting that a new English Premier League manager is willing to experiment.

United have had four matches in the English Premier League and one in the Capital One Cup and have used five more players than any other top-flight side.
Crystal Palace are second having used 28 players in five matches, with Hull City third on 27 (although they have played eight games this season).

Everton have played the fewest matches (four) and have rotated their squad the least — with just 17 different Toffees have taken to the field — while Chelsea and Southampton have used just 18 players in five matches each, indicating that Roberto Martinez, Jose Mourinho and Ronald Koeman are all happy with their squads.

Van Gaal has fielded 26 different players in the English Premier League alone, three greater than the next most-rotated sides Hull and QPR. With seven new faces at Old Trafford this summer — including Radamel Falcao, Angel di Maria and Daley Blind — Van Gaal has arguably become the new “Tinkerman” after changing his side drastically for each match so far this season.

Ranieri was famously given that moniker for what was perceived as his over-rotation of his Chelsea squad during his four years at Stamford Bridge (2000-04), but it seems that Van Gaal has taken on the mantle. In the Dutchman’s defence, United have been ravaged by injuries, and Van Gaal has also tried to give youngsters their opportunity in the first team.

Yet he also gave game-time to players such as Nani, Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa before discarding them and allowing them to leave the club.
He has also had a look at relatively unknown players Marnick Vermijl, Saidy Janko and Reece James.

Interestingly, the one position Van Gaal has not rotated is his goalkeeper —with David de Gea having featured in all five of United’s fixtures in both league and cup.
In total, United have used nine defenders, six forwards and a staggering 17 midfielders, as well as De Gea, in just five matches so far this season. And, with Van Gaal’s history of fielding academy players, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he will continue to blood an even greater number of youngsters as the season progresses.

Amazingly, Luke Shaw is yet to make his debut and Michael Carrick has been injured all season, so Van Gaal is almost guaranteed to field at least 35 different players this campaign. — Mailonline.