Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Independent, Louis van Gaal blamed club legend Paul Scholes for creating a negative atmosphere for him at Manchester United.
The Dutchman went on to claim that the former United midfielder should be ‘more positive’ with regards to his opinions. Paul Scholes has been extremely vocal in his criticism of Louis van Gaal, as he previously claimed that he wouldn’t have enjoyed playing under him at Manchester United.
Van Gaal believes that his harsh criticism influenced a ‘certain amount of fans’ at the club. Speaking to The Independent, Van Gaal opined, “What Scholes is thinking, he has to think it. Every human being can give his opinion. I don’t bother about that, I think it is good. But my problem is when you create an atmosphere, a very negative atmosphere for somebody, so maybe he should be more positive.”
The Dutchman however refrained himself from asking Ryan Giggs to intervene in the situation, as it would put undue ‘stress’ on his friendship with his former midfield partner. “No, I don’t think that I have to give Ryan stress in his friendship with Scholes,” Van Gaal said. “I have managed all of my career, so it would not be good or honest of me to ask Ryan to say something.”
Is Paul Scholes’s criticism unjustified?
It will perhaps be unfair to hold Paul Scholes responsible for creating a negative atmosphere at Manchester United, or for influencing the fans against their manager. Old Trafford did stand strong by their manager for a significant period of time, despite the poor run of results during Van Gaal’s second year in charge of the club. However, a group stage exit from the Champions League coupled with their failure to ‘entertain’ the fans at Old Trafford finally turned a section of the home fans against Van Gaal’s methods at Manchester United.
