Louis van Gaal once shouted so fiercely at a player that his dentures fell out, a new biography of the Manchester United manager claims.
The 63-year-old is painted as a temperamental coach by former AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Khalid Sinouh, whom Van Gaal managed between 2005 and 2009.
In O, Louis: In Search Of Louis van Gaal, serialised in The Times, the Moroccan reveals an incident when Van Gaal thought his players were not training hard enough. ‘He had already b******ed me for it once but the second time he comes over and starts screaming at me something fierce and his dentures go flying,’ says Sinouh.
It is claimed that the Dutchman — whom Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also described as having a ‘huge ego’ yesterday — refused to shake his players’ hands unless they had won and also had a string of serious car accidents brought on by the exhaustion of being a full-time PE teacher and a semi-professional footballer.
The book also has examples of warmth and class, like the time Van Gaal and wife Truus visited a famous referee (in Holland) who was dying. Medical staff extended visiting hours due to the patient enjoying Van Gaal’s company so much. Three days later the match official passed away.
Author Hugo Borst also discovered that Van Gaal invested up to £150 000 with Dirk Scheringa, AZ’s broke chairman, in an astonishing display of generosity that some claimed was naive. The coach’s mischievous side is also demonstrated through his decision to buy a bigger, better and more expensive villa in Portugal just 100 yards from the one belonging to his sworn enemy Ronald Koeman, now also a manager in England at Southampton. ‘Childish perhaps, but, to start with at least, this was something Van Gaal liked to boast about,’ writes Borst.
Rummenigge, who hired Van Gaal at Bayern in 2009, also added to the book’s negative descriptions of the Dutchman. Despite leading the German club to a league and cup double in his first year, only missing out on a treble by losing the Champions League final to Inter Milan, Van Gaal was high-maintenance, insisted Rummenigge.
‘As soon as he presented his autobiography in a snobby restaurant, I knew hard times were ahead,’ Rummenigge told Der Spiegel magazine. ‘Louis van Gaal was not always easy-care. He wanted to “Vangaalise” our club. He has a huge ego.’
Van Gaal was dismissed towards the end of his second season in charge, with Bayern fourth in the Bundesliga.
Rummenigge did pay tribute to a ‘good and successful coach’, but claimed current manager Pep Guardiola is a much better fit for the club.
Meanwhile, Van Gaal does not see an end to United’s main injury concerns before next week’s Barclays Premier League match at Arsenal. The international break buys United’s boss a bit of time but he does not believe it will be long enough to see Radamel Falcao, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans or Rafael return to the side on November 22. ‘I don’t think they’ll be back because now some of them have already not played for five, six, seven weeks,’ said Van Gaal. ‘They could sit on the bench because they can play 20 minutes but I can’t put a lot of players who are not 100 per cent fit on the bench.’
United midfielder Anderson is being pursued by clubs in Brazil, including Gremio and Flamengo, who believe he can leave Old Trafford early on a free transfer. The Brazilian is out of contract in the summer and free to talk to other clubs in January. – Daily Mail