Van Gaal keeps a lid on United mutiny

Michael Carrick Louis van Gaal Manchester United

Michael Carrick: Available to United boss Louis van Gaal at Arsenal

Louis van Gaal has refused to budge on his intense and rigid training methods, which some of Manchester United’s senior stars think is inhibiting the club, according to reports.

The Times claim that a group of senior United players confronted manager Van Gaal last month after United’s opening-day 1-0 win over Tottenham complaining about their style of play, which saw them muster just one shot on target. The Daily Mail names the two players as England pair Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, both of whom believe that Van Gaal’s strict training regime is one of the contributing factors to United’s lack of creativity.

The pair are believed to have made clear their thoughts about the club’s reserved style of play and believe Van Gaal is not getting the best out of the club’s attacking players. They are also said to be upset about the treatment of David de Gea, who has been frozen out of action during his on-off move to Real Madrid.

United have endured a tough start to the season and scored just three goals, collecting seven points from four games. They sit in fifth spot, but they are already five points behind Manchester City, but Van Gaal is believed to be satisfied with his men, who face Liverpool at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Dutch tactician, who did not give his players a single day off for three weeks in the lead-up to the Champions League qualifier against Club Bruges, has stood firm on his methods so far despite the concerns raised to him. And in fact the last outing – the lame 2-1 defeat to Swansea – was United’s worst display of the season so far as United surrendered a one-goal lead at The Liberty Stadium.

Some players, such as centre-back Chris Smalling, have quite visibly improved and incoming full-back Matteo Darmain has looked assured, but the general feeling at Old Trafford is that United’s attacking flair, which was their trademark under Sir Alex Ferguson, has been nullified by Van Gaal.