As baptisms go, his could hardly have been more fiery. But Louis van Gaal insists he has no regrets about becoming Manchester United boss.
Van Gaal admits he could have taken a cushier job at Tottenham, who were prepared to pay him the same money he is on at United.
Yet the Dutchman says he could not resist the challenge of managing what he claims is the biggest club in England – a club that has just displayed its devastating financial muscle in the summer transfer window.
Bolstered by £150m worth of new blood, Van Gaal dismissed talk that the scale of the task confronting him at the Old Trafford giants is bigger than he thought and says he is relishing trying to restore the club’s fortunes.
“No, I don’t regret taking this job,” he said. “Yes, it is a massive job I have taken on at Manchester United. “I realise that.
"And the situation is not worse than I thought - I knew what I would find on my plate.
“I could have opted for an easier job. If I had gone to Tottenham, the job would not have been as enormous as here at United.
“I could have easily gone to Spurs. But I chose the biggest challenge of all the jobs in football. And I really wanted to join the number one club in the country, not Tottenham.
“Financially, Tottenham was kind of as attractive as Man United. But, in my eyes, Man United is still the number one club in England, Tottenham really is not.”
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Van Gaal, 63, was speaking after receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Netherlands Footballer of the Year gala on Monday night and is now enjoying a short break before the Premier League resumes.
It is his first proper time off since April, but insists it was not a mistake to take over at United only five days after his reign as Holland boss ended in the World Cup's third/fourth playoff.
“I don’t regret, either, the fact that I rushed straight from the World Cup to my new job in Manchester,” he said. “I can handle all that. I have the energy. And the players and the club give me energy.
"I think it is fantastic that I have so much work on my plate. It means I have a lot to do and I am capable of doing it.”
Van Gaal, who has also previously managed Ajax, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, expects United to be his last big club and his goal is to deliver their 21st league title.
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Before that, he must get his first win, of course, after his first four matches saw defeat to Swansea in the Premier League opener and against League One MK Dons in the Capital One Cup and league draws away to Sunderland and, last Saturday, promoted Burnley.
But he is confident he will soon be handing out his specially-made victory DVD to his players.
“I want to end my big coaching career here, at Manchester United,” he said. “I really want to bring the championship here to the people of Man United.
“Those smiles on the faces come when my computer expert, who combines the good things of a game on a DVD, puts great music with those great football moments.
“I love that more than anything. And I have seen with my other clubs, and with Holland in the World Cup, how the players love it too. It is magic stuff and is one of the biggest motivations for a manager. Well, it is for me, I love to see my players have fun and feel proud.”
Van Gaal has still to experience that moment with his United players and admits he does read United’s critics.
He is adamant he can turn United around and cited his start as Ajax as proof of what he can do, given time.
“Look, don’t be fooled,” he said. “Every manager loves recognition and appreciation. So do I - if I don’t get any applause, I would not be able to keep going for so long as a manager. Nobody can.
“But you also need a bit of luck. I have been lucky in the beginning of my career. Ajax wanted to sack me halfway in my first season at the club. But they kept believing in me, and look what happened.”