Louis van Gaal believes Manchester City's financial scandal may have cost him his Manchester United job, and left him to endure years of consequences that a fairer Premier League race might have spared him.The Dutchman was sacked in May 2016, just a day after leading United to FA Cup glory. The decisive factor was the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League, having finished fifth in the Premier League behind their cross-city rivals.Both Manchester clubs finished on 66 points, but City claimed fourth place thanks to a goal difference 16 better than United's. ##LINKED_NEWS_69898##Manuel Pellegrini's side secured the final Champions League spot, while Van Gaal's reign at Old Trafford came to an abrupt end.A decade later, the former United manager is questioning what that season might have looked like had the competition been fair.In correspondence with The Athletic, Van Gaal reflected on the consequences of missing out on Europe's elite competition."For me, at the time, that was probably the deciding factor in my dismissal from Manchester United and all the consequences and suffering this entailed," he wrote.##LINKED_NEWS_69879##Van Gaal's departure was painful enough without the added sting of how it unfolded. He learned of United's decision within 24 hours of lifting the FA Cup, one of the proudest moments of his final season in club management. He later described the experience as one of the worst of his professional life, accusing then chief executive Ed Woodward of going behind his back to arrange Jose Mourinho's arrival.Now 75, the former Netherlands coach believes his time in Manchester could have ended differently if the competition had been fair."That's for sure," he acknowledged.22.00: (2.40) Olympique Marseille (3.40) Olympiacos (2.95)But any sense of vindication comes too late to change his own story."I cannot turn back history now,” Van Gaal wrote. "Not even the English Football Association can."Asked what punishment City should face, he declined to prescribe a penalty, leaving the decision to the authorities."Ultimately, that will have to be decided by the judge," he said.