Marcos Rojo defends Louis van Gaal, but says Manchester United manager has 'bulldog' face

Reports this week suggest some players are unhappy with the Dutchman's methods

Simon Rice
Friday 11 September 2015 10:37 BST
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Marcos Rojo has defended Louis van Gaal amid reports of a mutiny at Manchester United, but said the Old Trafford boss does have a "bulldog face".

Reports this week suggest that some players are unhappy with the Dutchman's rigid training methods, with claims that Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick spoke to Van Gaal about their concerns earlier this season.

"He has a bulldog face, but he is great guy," Rojo told Fox Sports Argentina. "He's scary at first, but when you get to know him and relate to him on daily basis, you get along. But only if you listen to him.

"He has a really strong personality, but he is a great person. He listens to us, and even speaks a little bit of Spanish, so he always takes me to his office for a pep talk."

Manchester United have made an unconvincing start to the season, losing on their last outing and scoring just three goals in four games. This weekend they play Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Rojo, who is yet to play this season due to fatigue and injury but could feature on Saturday, also addressed suggestions that Van Gaal is not a fan of South American players.

"The fact that he holds a bad relationship with South American player is just a feeling [opinion]," said Rojo.

"I've been there with [Antonio] Valencia, [Radamel] Falcao, Angel [Di Maria] and he treated us all the same, he never treated us differently.

"Maybe because of his [poor] relationship with Roman [Riquelme] or with Angel leaving, some people got the wrong idea, but he treats us all the same. He is a great person and makes no differences between Europeans and South Americans."

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