The piling on Manchester United Manager Louis van Gaal continues this week. First Angel Di Maria blasted the Dutchman and blamed his “philosophy” for why he didn’t succeed at Old Trafford.
Then, after his sale to Bayer Leverkusen, Chicharito spoke publicly about now being in a place where he was wanted.
So you now have three former Red Devils (don’t forget Robin van Persie) who took parting shots at Van Gaal this summer. Had the Besiktas deal gone through, perhaps Victor Valdes would have become the fourth. His relationship with Van Gaal is currently toxic.
The strongest words of all came from a former Real Madrid player, and it had nothing to do with the failure of the David de Gea deal.
Mexican football legend Hugo Sanchez referred to the Iron Tulip as “a scoundrel” for how he treated Chicharito during the recent 4-0 win over Club Brugge in the Champions League playoff. He also added that Van Gaal has made “50,000 mistakes.”
“Van Gaal made a bad decision – and it’s not one he’s done for the first time, he’s done it 50,000 times,” Sanchez said. (transcript via Sky Sports)
“I’ve coached and a coach cannot do that to their own player. I’d go out and applaud him and tell him to trust in himself. But that look he gave Giggs… what a scoundrel.
“It was a bad game for Chicharito but any player in the world can do that. Van Gaal is a scoundrel; hopefully those in England realise he is a bad person and treats his players poorly.
“He should be professional. The players deserve professional and humane treatment.”
Wow! Those are some pretty harsh words there. However, it’s commonplace for players to feel slighted once their sent away, and then voice their resentment. Star players have egos, and it’s only natural to feel knocked down a peg when the manager decides he doesn’t want you. The fact that Van Gaal has a big personality and a large ego only adds more tension to these types of situations.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
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