LOUIS VAN GAAL has described Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward as an “evil genius” and blames him for his sacking back in 2016.
The Red Devils axed the charismatic Dutchman two years into his three-year contract and just days after lifting the FA Cup.
Van Gaal, 68, guided United to fourth in his first season but could only qualify for the Europa League in the second.
Jose Mourinho replaced him days after his sacking and it appears Van Gaal still remains bitter about his exit from Old Trafford.
Taking a swipe at Woodward, he told Dutch podcast Een-tweetje met Yves: “I blame Ed Woodward, my CEO at Manchester United, much more than Mourinho. In my view, Woodward is the evil genius.”
Woodward has been under the spotlight from supporters having been blamed for the club’s decline following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.
Poor managerial appointments and disastrous big-money signings have seen United fall massively behind rivals Man City and Liverpool.
But it appears Woodward wasn’t the only one making brutal decisions after ex-striker Robin van Persie revealed the moment Van Gaal told him he was for sale.
Speaking to the High Performance Podcast, Van Persie, 36, said: “I had this chat with Van Gaal and he told me: ‘OK Robin, our ways will part. I’m the coach, you’re the player – you have to go, your time is up’.”
But not willing to simply up and leave when he was just three years into the four-year deal he signed in 2012, the prolific Dutchman hit back.
He said: “Yeah but I still have a contract?’ He said: ‘I don’t care’. Ruthless.
“Towards the end of it, I saw something coming but not this ruthless. And the way he said it as well.
“And then a lot of things go through your mind when you get a message like that.
“I still had a contract, my family was happy, it was my 11th year in England. We love living in England. What’s next?
“My kids are going to school, they have their friends and everything. So in a split second, all these things come across your mind. How do you react to that?”
