Wayne Rooney thinks Louis van Gaal and two other managers in his career all shared ‘one thing’ in common

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Wayne Rooney has revealed something that stood out about Louis van Gaal during his time under the former Manchester United manager at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 and was the second permanent Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era at the club.

The 74-year-old Dutchman replaced David Moyes at the Premier League club after his United predecessor had been sacked during the 2013-14 campaign.

Van Gaal spent two seasons in charge at the Red Devils and Wayne Rooney was elevated to the United captaincy under the former Ajax and Barcelona manager.

The ex-Bayern Munich boss lifted the FA Cup trophy during his reign with United, with Rooney captaining his side to a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the 2016 final.

However, Van Gaal met the same fate as David Moyes at United and the former Netherlands head coach was dismissed from the Premier League club in 2016.

READ MORE: ‘Right thing’… Wayne Rooney ‘didn’t complain’ after what happened between him and former Man Utd manager

Wayne Rooney makes an important Louis van Gaal admission amid his verdict on Mo Salah at Liverpool

Speaking on his podcast, Wayne Rooney reacted to Mohamed Salah’s bombshell interview and the Liverpool star’s fractured relationship with manager Arne Slot.

Mohamed Salah suggested that he had been thrown “under the bus” at Anfield after falling out of favour under Arne Slot in Liverpool’s lacklustre 2025-26 campaign.

United legend Rooney dismissed the idea that Slot had not been fully transparent with Salah after he used his time under Louis van Gaal as a clear-cut example.

Should club legends protect the badge or tell the truth?🤔

Are former Manchester United players TOO HARSH on the club in the media, or are you happy for them to tell it like it is?

Does it matter? Are current United players TOO SOFT?

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The 40-year-old former United striker said that Van Gaal shared something in common with two other Dutch managers he played under in his prolific career.

“I can’t see that [Slot not being transparent about Salah] because I think I’ve played under three Dutch managers in Van Gaal, [Ronald] Koeman and Phillip Cocu,” he said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.

“And the one thing which they all are is honest. And if you’re playing well or you’re not playing well, they tell you.”

READ MORE: Mason Mount says he is always ‘going up against’ Man Utd ace and is tested to his limit, ‘most important thing…’

Wayne Rooney’s assessment of Arne Slot compared with former Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal and Co

Rooney played under Ronald Koeman in his second spell at Everton after his United exit and would later feature under Phillip Cocu at Derby County in his career.

United’s all-time leading scorer opened up about his experience of meeting Arne Slot and feels that the Dutchman will be similar to Van Gaal and Co with his honesty.

“So, maybe he [Salah] just doesn’t like the words which he’s heard and come from the manager, which that’s up to him to take them, but normally the Dutch managers are very honest with you,” Rooney added.

“So, I’ve met Arne Slot a few times and I think he’d be the same as the other Dutch managers.”

Van Gaal returned to management with the Netherlands in 2021 for a third spell before stepping down from the role after the 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar.