WAYNE ROONEY has claimed he learnt more about football working with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United in two years than he did in his nine years with Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Red Devils legend was distraught when Dutchman Van Gaal was axed by United chiefs.
Rooney said: “In those two years I learned more than under any other manager.
“I was devastated when Louis was sacked. For me, it was an absolute joy to work with him. We should have kept him for a third season.
“We would have been so much stronger.
“I felt things were improving and players started to understand his vision.
“This is why I will be forever grateful to him. Not just for making me captain, but also for all the trust and belief he had in me.”
Ferguson took Rooney from Everton in 2004, making him Britain’s most expensive teenager in a £30m-plus transfer deal.
The former England captain was hugely successful under Fergie, lifting Premier League titles, FA Cups and the Champions League.
But the 34-year-old Scouser – now Derby player-coach – is adamant Van Gaal’s tactical nous, coaching and man-management skills put him above the likes of Ferguson, Roy Hodgson and Sven Goran Eriksson.
The Dutchman lifted the FA Cup before being axed by United in 2016.
Van Gaal, 68, was hugely successful as coach at Barcelona, Ajax, Bayern Munich and head of the Holland national team.
He has not worked as a manager since he was dismissed by United in 2016.
Rooney felt Van Gaal’s time at Old Trafford was hindered by a catalogue of injuries.
He said: “We didn’t have the best team in the league anyway, but we could not afford to have 12 players injured.
“At the time it was good for me because I had decided that I wanted to become a manager.
“And working with Louis in that way was priceless in my opinion, because I could learn so much from him. I could not have wished for a better example.”
