Manchester United Squad Reportedly Unhappy with Louis van Gaal's Player Handling

A section of the Manchester United squad have reportedly been left disillusioned by the treatment of some of their team-mates by manager Louis van Gaal.

According to Simon Jones of the MailOnline, the manner in which the Dutchman marginalised both Victor Valdes, who looks unlikely to play for the club again, and Rafael, who has since departed for Lyon, has left a bitter taste. His draconian training methods have also irked some players:

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Players groaned at the monotony of training, the team meetings, unit meetings for the defence, midfield and attack — oh, and the debriefs. 

The blunt, often critical delivery of video analyst Max Reckers and the abrasive manner in which Victor Valdes and Rafael da Silva were dispatched from the first team dressing room.

Rooney and Carrick, as captain and vice-captain, are ‘afforded special privileges’ says Van Gaal, and they plucked up the courage to air the team’s views. There was no challenge of authority, merely a plea to hear their case. Van Gaal took it on board but little has changed.

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Jon Super/Associated Press

It was reported on Thursday by the Times (h/t Marc Williams of the Daily Star) that some senior players had approached Van Gaal about the meticulous manner in which sessions were carried out, painting a far from happy picture of life behind the scenes at United’s Carrington training complex. And it seems concerns over the training curriculum aren't the only issues.

Valdes fell out with Van Gaal after it was claimed he refused to play for the United reserve team. Since a move to Besiktas fell through at the last moment of the transfer window, he remains stuck in limbo at Old Trafford, per Simon Stone of BBC Sport. Meanwhile, Rafael was moved on, and the defender stated “he didn’t like me” when discussing the manager, per Jones’ piece.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

As noted by Manchester United writer OffsideLiam, these public feuds with some squad members are far from desirable:

All these issues seem to be manifesting on the field, with the Red Devils playing a neat, tidy but one-dimensional style of football so far this season. The players seems scared to take risks on the ball, run at opponents and lack the positional freedom that was a hallmark of Sir Alex Ferguson’s iconic United sides.

“Manchester United fans are having to re-educate themselves on what they're going to see,” the club’s former defender Rio Ferdinand told the London Evening Standard (h/t James Cambridge of the Daily Express). “You're not going to see what you saw for the last 25 years. … It's methodical and really slow going side to side whereas before it was 'bang, go’.”

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

If Van Gaal’s side were picking teams apart with incisive passing after strangling matches with possession, he’d have results to fall back on. But the start to the season after another expensive transfer window has been very mediocre. Daniel Harris of the Guardian thinks a change in style could actually prompt a better set of results too:

The fact that United players are addressing Van Gaal about methods and tactics isn’t a big negative. Any football club should have an open policy on ideas and concerns, rather than discontent be left to fester. Indeed, the more worrying aspect of the Dutchman’s managerial make-up seems to be the apparent ruthlessness with which he discounts those who aren’t to his taste.

As for United’s playing style on the pitch, Van Gaal has shown he can be adaptable previously—think back to the Netherlands’ transformation into a counter-attacking team under his tutelage at the last World Cup—and if results don’t pick up, he’s a smart enough manager to realise some refreshing alterations may be needed for the better.