Former Manchester United midfielder Arnold Muhren has revealed that Louis van Gaal has not changed his ways over the years.
The former Ajax boss arrived at Manchester United last summer and has overseen a sea-change at Old Trafford in terms of playing staff and style of football.
While the Dutchman has received a lot of flak since his arrival, he dragged his Manchester United side back into the Champions League last season and they are currently third in the league table, just two points off leaders Manchester City.
Van Gaal is known for his strict regime and eccentric ways and Muhren admits that his compatriot has not changed. The former Red Devil worked with Van Gaal at Ajax during the late 1980s and he revealed that the current Manchester United boss always had a larger-than-life personality.
While he admits Van Gaal can be abrasive in nature on the outside, he insisted that the former Ajax boss is a much milder man behind closed doors and a genuinely good person.
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When asked whether Van Gaal has always been very strict and eccentric, the former Red Devil told Full Time Devils: “That is the way he has been.
“You should respect the way he is; if Van Gaal changed completely, then he won’t be Van Gaal anymore.
“He always had this charisma, the personality but in private he is completely different than he is like in press conferences.
“He doesn’t agree most of the time with the questions the press asks, but that is the Van Gaal we know. He did the same in Barcelona, in Munich.
“You either love him or hate him, but I know him as a person or a manager; I think he is a great guy.”
Muhren was the first Dutchman to play for Manchester United and played for Ajax when Van Gaal was an assistant manager at the club in the late 1980s.
