Wayne Rooney played under some of the most decorated managers in football during his playing career, but believes one was ‘streets ahead’ when it came to the tactics of the game.
Rooney spent most of his career playing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, making over 400 appearances under the legendary manager, winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League.
He admitted last year that their relationship had suffered following the transfer request he submitted in 2010, after expressing concern over Man United’s ability to attract the top players in the world.
Rooney would ultimately stay at Man United until the end of the 2016-17 season, with several managers struggling to live up to the standards set by Ferguson, who retired in 2013.
Man United’s all-time record goalscorer also played over 100 matches under David Moyes, who had also coached him at the start his career at Everton.
Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Roy Hodgson, Steve McClaren and Sam Allardyce are also among those to have coached Rooney during his club and international career.
In Rooney’s eyes though, Louis van Gaal stood out when it came to the tactics of the game.
He played under the Dutchman for two seasons at Manchester United, with the Red Devils finishing fourth and fifth in those campaigns. Van Gaal was sacked by the club just two days after winning the FA Cup in the 2015-16 season.
While Rooney highlighted Ferguson as his best all-around manager, he described Van Gaal’s approach to the tactical side of the game as ‘incredible’.
‘The best I have worked under was Louis van Gaal, that might sound strange,’ he said on the 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 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.’
‘The only one thing was that you lost that little bit of freedom when you are attacking.
‘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 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.
Explaining the difference between Ferguson and Van Gaal, Rooney stated that the former would impress upon his Manchester United side that they were better than the opponents and praised his ‘simple’ approach.
Rooney stressed that the simpler approach helped top players, with Ferguson spending less time working on tactics and set pieces.
He believed the approach made players more responsible on the pitch, while highlighting that Ferguson would ‘come into his own’ for tougher matches.
While praising Van Gaal’s tactical knowledge, Rooney admitted his approach led to several star names ‘dissolving’ under his management and rigid instructions.
‘I saw players dissolve, the central midfield player literally couldn’t move,’ Rooney 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.’
