Former Man Utd captain Wayne Rooney called Louis van Gaal the ‘best tactician’ in a conversation with talkSPORT.
Wayne Rooney left Manchester United in 2017 as the club’s highest goalscorer in its history.
The former Manchester United captain has since spoken at length about his Manchester United career, reflecting on his successes and the lows.
Earlier this week, he was in conversation with talkSPORT about his experience under Louis van Gaal, and explained that there was one area where he was even better than the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
He called the former Dutch manager the ‘best tactician’ he has ever worked with.
Louis van Gaal the ‘best tactician’:
Talking about his time at Manchester United under van Gaal, the former English international stated that the manager’s tactical understanding of the game was supreme.
“It didn’t work for David Moyes and they [Manchester United] then went for the experience of Louis van Gaal,” Rooney told talkSPORT.
“He was tactically the best I have worked with – in terms of setting you up in a shape defensively and everyone knowing their roles.”
However, Rooney admitted that van Gaal’s tenure at Manchester United wasn’t as successful as the fans and players hoped.
“It was just about getting the attacking side right as well as the defensive side.
“He won a few trophies but it didn’t pan out the way everyone would have hoped.”
During his time at the club, the Dutchman led Manchester United to FA Cup victory. Interestingly, the win in the final of the tournament was his final game at the club, before Jose Mourinho was appointed to succeed him.
Louis van Gaal announced his retirement from football earlier this month.
During his long footballing career, he managed teams like Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich – winning the league titles with all the three. He also led the Dutch side to a Champions League triumph in 1994/95.
He also worked with Netherlands’ national football team, securing a third-place finish in the 2014 World Cup.
How Twitter reacted..
🗣 “Van Gaal is tactically the best.”@WayneRooney didn’t pick Sir Alex as the best tactical boss he’s worked with. pic.twitter.com/gzAnkRaYgz
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) March 21, 2019
👀 Wayne Rooney on the best manager tactically he’s worked with…
“Van Gaal was tactically the best I have worked with, in terms of setting you up in a shape defensively and everyone knowing their roles”#MUFC pic.twitter.com/71L2Bk589H
— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) March 22, 2019
Wayne Rooney: “He (Van Gaal) was tactically the best I have worked with – in terms of setting you up in a shape defensively and everyone knowing their roles. It was just about getting the attacking side right as well as the defensive side.” pic.twitter.com/Hq2UjrbrGj
— Novibet.co.uk (@novibet_uk) March 22, 2019
“Van Gaal is tactically the best.”
Wayne Rooney spoke even before that comment about how good of a manager Van Gaal was at United:https://t.co/d99EpSInEV#MUFC #LVG #Rooney
— Van Gaal’s Philosophy (@LVGsLegacy) March 21, 2019
What next?
Wayne Rooney currently plays for DC United in the MLS. The current season began on March 2, and Rooney scored a hat-trick in the club’s final game before the international break against Real Salt Lake, leading the side to a 5-0 win.
