Louis van Gaal dispelled any rumours of unrest within the Manchester United changing room in his pre-match press conference, stating that he has a “superb relationship” with his players.
A report in The Times earlier this week suggested that the Dutchman had been confronted by some members of the United squad with concerns over the manager’s rigid training methods, and asked to be allowed to express themselves more freely, but van Gaal put those rumours to rest in his pre-match press conference.
“I have a superb relationship with my players. Maybe you have to consider how many players are coming to the manager to say something. In my career as a manager, I didn’t have so many players who are coming to say something about the atmosphere in the dressing room, about the way we train, or something like that. It is very positive that players are coming to me. Then, you know they trust you,” he said.
However, van Gaal admitted that captain Wayne Rooney and vice-captain Michael Carrick had approached him with corners that the atmosphere in the dressing room was “flat”.
“Rooney and Carrick, the captains, came to me and said the dressing room is flat and they wanted to say that to me because they wanted to help me,” the manager said.
“And then I have played so much attention and then I communicate not with my captains, because they are trying to warn me, so I go to the dressing room and talk with my players.
“We have discussed a lot of aspects but not what some have written. The fans are shouting every week ‘Louis van Gaal’s army’ so the fans are very satisfied with me and the players are very satisfied with me. Some players are coming to me to apologise for what is written in the papers this week.”
van Gaal also added that Rooney’s leadership surpasses that of Danny Blind, father of current United player Daley, who was captain at Ajax when van Gaal led the Amsterdam outfit to Champions League success in 1995.
“Wayne Rooney is the best captain,” he said. “That is something I mean because Danny Blind was always my best captain and when I say Wayne Rooney is my best captain, I say something about Danny Blind and he shall read that and be disappointed.”
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