Louis van Gaal's strict rules including eating ban left Man Utd stars furious
Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has opened up on the "difficult" off-field rules put in place by manager Louis van Gaal during the Dutchman's time in charge.
Van Gaal took over at Old Trafford in 2014 after leading the Netherlands national team to third place at the World Cup in Brazil. He only lasted two seasons, though, with Jose Mourinho taking his place shortly after a 2016 FA Cup final victory.
Rooney was impressed by the former Barcelona boss' tactical acumen, naming him as tactically the best manager he worked under. Things were tougher in other departments, though, including Van Gaal's approach to his squad's eating patterns.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Rooney opened up on the rules put in place by Van Gaal, who hasn't been in management since leading the Netherlands to the World Cup quarter-finals in his last spell in charge. These included a mealtime rule which didn't go down too well with the playing staff.
"I thought he was a brilliant personality and there are some stories from his time at the club, which I can't say," Rooney said. "His methods were difficult in how we worked off the pitch, but I loved his training
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"Every day, we would finish training and would have to wait 90 minutes until we could have our food, then you have your food where one table goes up to get it at a time, with the staff table going up last, and then you'd have to wait for the manager to finish his food, and he'd have a three-course meal every day. When he finished his meal, he'd stand up and make a speech every day, and then we could leave.
"Before we left, he would then ask to speak to players individually and he would do it in order of seniority, so you had players sat outside his office waiting to be called in, one by one. I did say to him once that the players had gone and that he needed to change this process because it was getting difficult. Towards the end, Louis asked me how he could change to get the players back on side, but unfortunately it was too late by then."
How do you rate Louis van Gaal's spell as Manchester United manager? Have your say in the comments section
Louis van Gaal spent two years as Manchester United manager (PA)Van Gaal came out of retirement for his most recent Netherlands spell, though he's ruled out a return to club football. "My health comes first. I don’t like being a coach at a club anymore," the 72-year-old, who has been receiving treatment for prostate cancer, told NOS in 2023.
During a career spanning more than 30 years, Van Gaal led teams to three Champions League finals. He won the competition with Ajax in 1995, losing in the final 12 months later, and saw his Bayern Munich side beaten by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in the 2010 final.
He had two spells at Barcelona and one in charge of AZ, winning the Eredivisie title with the Alkmaar side in 2009. He won back-to-back league titles in his first Barca stint, and led the Catalan club to the Champions League semi-finals in the 1999-2000 season.
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