Former Manchester United Manager Louis van Gaal seems to have slightly changed his tone on the man who replaced him since the weekend. Van Gaal had an impromptu meeting with his successor Saturday at Anfield, following United’s goalless draw with Liverpool.
Mourinho invited Van Gaal into his office for a glass of wine and after the meeting, Van Gaal leveled some criticism against both the current manager and the way that he got ousted at MUFC.
LVG said two days ago that Mourinho goes “out of control too much,” called the manner of his sacking “not elegant” and stated his belief that the Portuguese was lobbying to get his job while the Dutchman was still in power at Old Trafford.
Since then however, The Iron Tulip has described Mourinho in a slightly more favorable tone, referring to his replacement as a sympathetic figure. Van Gaal did an interview with Ziggo Sport, in which the host said to him: “Before the game, Jose Mourinho comes up to you, shakes your hand and calls you mister, coach, the boss and says if you want to join us before the game or after in the dressing room just come over…I didn’t know what I was witnessing.”
Van Gaal responded:
“Remarkable, eh? He is basically a very sympathetic guy. He was like that as an assistant but also as an opponent.”
“He only lets himself go sometimes in front of the media and, of course, the way I suspect he took over at Manchester and my sacking went is, for me, not very chic (classy).”
Mourinho served as an assistant under Van Gaal at Barcelona from 1997-2000. On the same weekend that Van Gaal won his first and only trophy at United, he was replaced by Mourinho.
As the Dutchman was winning the FA Cup for United, on May 21st, 2016, the club was about to sack him and bring Mourinho in, and it was well known public knowledge to just about everyone who cared to pay attention.
Since taking over at Old Trafford, Mourinho has been critical of Van Gaal, saying the side did not evolve during the period in which LVG was in charge.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now and Minute Media. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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