Louis van Gaal Reportedly Orders Manchester United Drone Patrol to Hide Tactics

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is going to extraordinary lengths to keep his methods a secret, hiring a security firm to scan the skies above Carrington for spy drones.

Will Payne of The Sun (subscription required) reports that the Dutch coach has ordered experts to patrol United's training complex and look out for devices that could accumulate knowledge of his practices.

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Payne's source says that it is unlikely one of the club's main Premier League competitors would use such tactics. Instead, it could be a third party looking to obtain secrets:

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It's unlikely rivals like Manchester City, Liverpool or Arsenal would employ people to fly drones. But that doesn't mean some bright sparks won't take it upon themselves to try to eavesdrop on what the team are up to and steal their closely guarded secrets.

Van Gaal employs some very specific tactics and he will go to great lengths to keep them secret. You can buy these drones for about £100 these days and they are fairly easy to operate.

It would be very easy for someone to manoeuvre one over the training pitch. There is also a chance that a drone or cleverly placed camera could catch an argument between players and that could be embarrassing for the club.

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This is not the first time United have had to pay attention to a potential bugging. In 2005, the club had to sweep for devices at Old Trafford after it became apparent the dressing room had been compromised by spy technology, per Eurosport.

On that occasion, the bug was planted by a visitor on the club's stadium and museum tour, shortly before a key match with Chelsea.

Payne says Sir Alex Ferguson could be heard giving vital orders and instructions to his team. The information was obtained by The Sun, but it was immediately returned to the football club and not used by the publication.

Van Gaal has spent the majority of his tenure at Old Trafford chopping and changing his tactics as he looks to find a way to get the club back to the top of English football.

The successful Dutch manager originally employed the 3-5-2 he used so efficiently with his Netherlands side at the World Cup, destroying Spain in the group stages and finishing third in the competition.

United remained unbeaten during their pre-season tour of the USA, defeating the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid in the process.

However, LVG had a dramatic rethink of his game plan once the Premier League season started, as United found it hard to pick up victories. The coach switched to a 4-4-2 diamond, which saw his side playing free-flowing attacking football and scoring goals.

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The club shelved that tactic after the side shipped five goals away to Leicester City.

The manager now seems to have settled on a 4-1-4-1 formation that utilises Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini, with both players showing incredible boosts in form from last season.

Scott from the Republik of Mancunia highlighted the Belgium international's efforts under his new boss in comparison to those he made under Van Gaal's predecessor:

It remains to be seen if Van Gaal can take United back to the heady heights of the Ferguson era, but he will be aware that competitors will be attempting to scupper his best-laid plans as he rebuilds the squad.

The manager has now got his team playing attractive football with an improved defensive spine and consistency.

The efforts of the club in the next two transfer windows will be key as LVG looks to refine the product he puts on the football pitch.