Wayne Rooney has revealed how former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal introduced special 'mealtime rules' that shocked some members of the squad.
The Dutch manager spent two years in charge at Old Trafford from 2014-16, leading the Red Devils to an FA Cup success in his final season in charge.
He was brutally sacked just days after the club's triumph at Wembley against Crystal Palace, with Jose Mourinho stepping in to replace him.
Rooney, speaking via the Stick to Football podcast, insisted his rules regarding when players could and couldn't eat left some of the United squad shocked at first.
"I thought he was a brilliant personality and there are some stories from his time at the club which I can't say," Rooney said.
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"His methods were difficult in how we worked off the pitch, but I loved his training.
"Every day, we would finish training and would have to wait 90 minutes until we could have our food, then you have your food where one table goes up to get it at a time, with the staff table going up last, and then you'd have to wait for the manager to finish his food, and he'd have a three-course meal every day.
"When he finished his meal, he'd stand up and make a speech every day, and then we could leave.
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"Before we left, he would then ask to speak to players individually and he would do it in order of seniority, so you had players sat outside his office waiting to be called in, one by one.
"I did say to him once that the players had gone and that he needed to change this process because it was getting difficult.
"Towards the end, Louis asked me how he could change to get the players back on side, but unfortunately it was too late by then."
Van Gaal has since worked with the Netherlands national team, leaving the role at the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup. He has yet to officially announce his retirement from management, despite having not taken a role since then.
Topics: Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, Louis Van Gaal, FA Cup, Jose Mourinho
Matthew Holt