Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has stunningly claimed that Louis van Gaal — and not Sir Alex Ferguson — is the best coach he's ever worked under.
Rooney was signed by Ferguson from Everton in 2004 and went on to work under David Moyes (his previous manager on Merseyside), as well as Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
He went onto become United's all-time record goal-scorer, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's record, before returning to Everton and then joining MLS outfit DC United — with whom he scored a trademark long-range goal earlier this week.
But despite never winning the league under any manager other than Sir Alex, Rooney's belief is that Van Gaal was the superior 'coach'.
"Van Gaal is by far the best coach I have worked with — one hundred per cent," Rooney said in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
"His tactical skills, his way of preparing and his attention to the finest of details, I found amazing. I admired that in him. I had never looked at stuff like that before."
Van Gaal revealed in a recent interview that Rooney was 'over the hill' when the pair worked together but called the former United captain 'one of my best players'.
Rooney added that the Dutch coach implemented a rigorous way of working at Old Trafford. He said: "Van Gaal knows that the way he works is tough for players. I made him aware of that at the time and we talked about this very well together.
"I regret how it all ended, yet I know one thing for sure — I have learnt a lot from him and I am definitely going to use those lessons for when I am a manager."
