Manchester United never met expectations under Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman was often criticised for his drab style of play in a side which lacked goals and excitement during his two years in charge.
One of those discarded by Van Gaal, popular right-back Rafael, has slammed his former manager in an interview with The Athletic.
And in a fascinating breakdown of his tactical approach, he claims Van Gaal “hated” players with heart and instinct.
He believes the likes of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane would never have been allowed to thrive under Van Gaal.
And he pointed to his hatred of such players as a key problem which caused things to go wrong under Van Gaal at Old Trafford.
Rafael said: “Van Gaal is a guy who does not like players who play with their heart.
“This is my thinking. He liked calm players, composed players. But you cannot have only composed players.
“You need some heart and instinct. He did not want his players to rush but sometimes you need to go and try something.
“If you tell me one team who plays only with ‘composure’ players, tell me. It is not normal.
“When a player does a crazy thing, the coach is there to say calm down, you don’t need to do that.
“But sometimes, it is instinct and you need that. Van Gaal hated players like that.
“You talk about United culture: this is Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam, Nemanja Vidic. Look at these players.
“Look at the character. Van Gaal did not like character because he was a (big) character. He didn’t want anyone to say some s*** (to him).”
