Two big names are unsettled at Manchester United under Louis van Gaal, and they join a long list of famous players and managers who simply didn’t get on with the controversial Dutchman…
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1) Rivaldo
Managed by Louis van Gaal at Barcelona, Rivaldo was the best player in the world at the time but fell out with the Dutchman over not being played in his favoured position, which resulted in being dropped to the bench in a highly controversial move.
2) Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman, now in charge of Southampton, could not get on with Louis van Gaal as his technical director at Ajax, with the United boss seemingly too interfering and critical of Koeman’s ‘weak’ management.
3) Johan Cruyff
A story with multiple angles depending on who you believe, but van Gaal claims Johan Cruyff was angry at him for leaving a dinner at his house to take a phonecall about the death of his sister, which has led to bad blood between the two ever since.
4) Mark van Bommel
A star player during his time at Bayern Munich, van Gaal was seemingly keen to shoot down Mark van Bommel for his growing influence in the dressing room, and seemed to behave very harshly towards his fellow Dutchman as he sought to bring through a number of younger players in his place.
5) Martin Demichelis
Another former Bayern star who lost his place under van Gaal, Martin Demichelis has been described as saying the United boss ‘stank the place out’ when he took over, though it’s not precisely clear how the two came to fall out themselves.
6) Luca Toni
Another big player for Bayern Munich when van Gaal joined, Luca Toni became another high-profile victim of the Dutchman’s desire to stamp his authority on the team, criticising the Italian for his ‘playboy’ lifestyle and publicly humiliating him when he grabbed him by the ears when he wasn’t sitting up straight at a team meal.
7) Robin van Persie
Although they later fixed their relationship, things didn’t get off to a great start between van Gaal and Robin van Persie, with the United striker initially dropped from his Netherlands side for being too quiet. Still, van Persie turned things around and later became captain under LVG.
8) Radamel Falcao
Reports this week suggest Radamel Falcao has been ‘reducted to tears’ by van Gaal’s harsh treatment of him this season, which has included banishing him from the matchday squad altogether and fielding him in the Under-21 side.
9) Angel Di Maria
Another player not fulfilling his potential at United, Angel Di Maria has been the victim of some strange tactics by van Gaal and is now said to be keen on leaving the club this summer instead of getting used to the Dutchman’s system.