Rooney admits Van Gaal "was streets ahead" of Alex Ferguson at Man Utd

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted that Louis van Gaal was far better than Sir Alex Ferguson tactically.

The former Red Devils boss spent two seasons at Old Trafford, winning one FA Cup in his time at the club, which came after Ferguson’s successor David Moyes was sacked in 2014.

Van Gaal was United manager between 2014 and 2016, and shared a close bond with Rooney who has spoken about their close relationship that they shared in the past despite the hard times at the club.

United have continued to spiral in the years since Van Gaal was in charge and although his style of football and intense tactical instructions were certainly not for everyone, many fans would take him back today.

Now, speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, the former England star has praised Van Gaal for his work at United which he says was more impressive than Ferguson’s at least when it came to tactics.

“The best I have worked under was Louis van Gaal, that might sound strange.

“Alex Ferguson knew exactly what he was doing and was a genius at what he did, but tactically Louis van Gaal was streets ahead of anyone I have worked with.

“I am talking tactically, Alex Ferguson was the best all round but tactically Louis van Gaal was incredible, you used to watch and just take everything in, how he prepared a team, how he set a team up defensively.”

“Van Gaal was just incredible, his attention to detail, his training sessions were quite boring at times but every player knew exactly what they were doing. He was the best by quite a long way.”

Despite his vast knowledge and constant praise from former players, a return to football is unlikely as he continues to battle and recover from illness. It is clear however that many fans do miss Van Gaal and his style that although not loved at the time, did bring more success and silverware.

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