Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal says the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has “zero understanding of football”.
Van Gaal was in charge for two seasons at Old Trafford between 2014 and 2016, during which time he won the FA Cup and finished fourth and fifth in the Premier League.
And the eccentric Dutchman has blamed the man at the top for the bulk of the club’s problems over the last six years.
“At Bayern, the people in charge are football men. I always appreciated that,” Van Gaal told a German magazine, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“At Manchester United, on the other hand, Ed Woodward was installed as CEO — somebody with zero understanding of football who was previously an investment banker.
Van Gaal was replaced in the Red Devils hot-seat by José Mourinho – a move he has suggested was more of a business decision than a footballing one.
“I don’t hold it against the club. They wanted Mourinho and he was on the market,” he added.
“But appointing Mourinho was obviously interesting from a business point of view.
“He wins games. And for a club like United, the main thing is to win trophies.
“How they are won isn’t the main priority, the English fans see it differently.
“They accept that the game is not all about attacking but it is also about defending.
“I always tried to defend high up the pitch, to be in the opposition’s half and play the game there.” (AFP)
