Wayne Rooney has named the best manager that he worked under during his illustrious career, and the answer may surprise some football fans.
Between 2004 and 2013, Rooney was a vital member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils team, winning five Premier League championships and a UEFA Champions League.
During a fantastic 19-year playing career, the England star also played for legendary coaches like Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho.
When asked who was the best manager he worked under, the 39-year-old, however, has ignored those three titans of the beautiful game.
Rooney chose to focus on Louis van Gaal, another great who managed the forward at United from 2014 to 2016.
During his tenure, the Dutchman managed European powerhouses Ajax, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich in addition to the Netherlands.
“The best I have worked under was Louis van Gaal, that might sound strange,” said the Manchester United legend during an episode of the BBC’s Wayne Rooney Show.
“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 around, 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 guided United to the FA Cup during the 2015/2016 season, beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final after extra time.
However, he was sacked within two days of the triumph at Wembley, having finished fourth and fifth in his two Premier League campaigns.
Rooney, who recently hit back at Michael Owen’s claims that he was the superior footballer at 17, revealed that the Dutchman’s playing style influenced his own philosophy as a manager.
“The only thing was that you lost that little bit of freedom when you are attacking,” he said.
“At this time, I was on my journey of thinking I was going to go into coaching, so I was thinking I want to do this, but in the final third, I just give that little bit more freedom.
“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.”
Van Gaal had the likes of Angel Di María and Radamel Falcao at his disposal during his time at Old Trafford.
However, Rooney believes some players struggled to deal with the manager’s rigid system.
“I saw players dissolve, the central midfield player literally couldn’t move,” he added.
“We saw Di Maria and Falcao come in.
“You had to stay in your lane and in your channel.
“It was tough as an attacking player, but I think defensively, as he set up, it was so good.”
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