Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney played under several managers during his years at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney is Manchester United’s leading goalscorer after finding the back of the net 253 times across his 13 years at the club.
Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2004 as an 18-year-old, Wayne Rooney left a lasting legacy at Old Trafford.
Rooney played under David Moyes at both Everton and United, and also spent spells under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho before hanging up his boots.
While he has great admiration for Ferguson and his achievements, Rooney has frequently spoken about Van Gaal being the best tactically out of all the managers he has worked under.
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Wayne Rooney opens up on Louis van Gaal’s Man United sacking
Rooney starred in United’s 2016 FA Cup final triumph over Crystal Palace, which proved to be Van Gaal’s last game in charge.
Just a day later, Van Gaal was sacked. Speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show on YouTube, Rooney gave more details about what happened behind the scenes.
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“It was tough for us, because we respected him. He made us all get up after celebrating [the FA Cup win], at 8am and there were nametags at every meal like a wedding.
“Fair play to him, he gave every player their schedule and what he wanted and expected from them in the off-season.
“He stuck to his job right until it was confirmed he was sacked. It was sad, it was really sad because you looked at him, he was a big personality and we had just won the FA Cup.
“He knew, I think we all knew, that he was going to be sacked, but he stuck to his job right until the end. I have a lot of respect for him for that.”
When asked about how players act when they know a manager is under pressure, Rooney added: “Listen, I’ve seen it, players will throw the manager under the bus when they need to to protect themselves.”
Ineos must avoid repeat of Louis van Gaal mistake
Van Gaal was sacked for not achieving a top-four finish with United in 2015/16. Ten years later, and a top-four finish would be considered an overachievement for Ruben Amorim.
It is a sorry sign of the club’s trajectory over the past decade, and there may be some regret around Old Trafford that the Glazers pulled the trigger on Van Gaal as early as they did.
READ MORE: Ryan Giggs was ‘punched’ during first meeting with ‘mad’ Louis van Gaal, explains how he was different to other Man Utd managers
But that is now a lesson for Ineos and the new management at United. In Ruben Amorim, United have a very talented and likeable young coach who deserves time.
Van Gaal has shown his support for Amorim and criticised United for being a “commercial club”. It is up to Ineos to prove the philosophy has changed and that football comes first.