Wayne Rooney says Louis van Gaal demoted him and made Phil Jones Man Utd’s penalty taker for his first ever Premier League game

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If there was a season which taught Manchester United fans not to trust pre-season results, it was Louis van Gaal’s first in 2014.

Louis van Gaal’s new look Manchester United demolished all comers in pre-season 2014, defeating LA Galaxy 7-0, before victories over Roma, Inter Milan (with penalties), Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Valencia.

Confidence was high heading into the season, before the team lost the game that mattered, the first Premier League game of 2014.

Manchester United were beaten 2-1 at home by Swansea City, with confidence turning to anxiety.

United would have dearly loved to secure a late penalty to equalise the game. If that happened, then according to Wayne Rooney – it would have been Phil Jones stepping up to take it.

Wayne Rooney explains Louis van Gaal’s penalty rules

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has fond memories of his time playing under Louis van Gaal, which edged him closer towards the club’s all-time goalscoring record, and winning the FA Cup in 2016.

Speaking to Stick To Football, Rooney explained his standout memory of the pre-season under Van Gaal in 2014 – the Dutchman’s strict rule on penalties.”

He said: “For the forwards, if you’re the penalty taker, and you miss, you’re the back of the queue.

“Even in pre-season, if you miss a penalty, you to go like number seven or eight.

“We got three penalties in pre-season, I scored the first two. Then the last game at Sevilla [correction: Valencia] at Old Trafford, I hit the post.

“So for the first game of the season, I was like number eight penalty taker.

“Phil Jones went into the game as the penalty taker, above me and Van Persie.”

This would have been quite a sight, defender Phil Jones stepping up to take a game-saving penalty against Swansea in the last minute at Old Trafford.

Jones and Rooney both played all 90 minutes in the defeat, with Rooney on target from open play, United ondone by a Gylfi Sigurdsson brace.

Rooney reclaimed penalty taker role eventually

Phil Jones’ elevation in the pecking order as penalty taker did not last long enough to actually take a spot kick under Van Gaal.

He would bizarrely end up as a corner taker under the Dutchman, a sight which still bemused United fans to this day.

Wayne Rooney reclaimed his penalty taker role under Van Gaal, although it was not until February 2015, in the FA Cup against Preston, and then another against Sunderland in the Premier League.

He then missed a penalty at Anfield in March 2015 in the ‘Juan Mata game’, a 2-1 win for United, and Van Gaal then did not allow him to take another until January 2016 against Sheffield United in the FA Cup.