Louis van Gaal has said he came “very close” to becoming Tottenham Hotspur manager before taking over at Manchester United, with the Dutchman also conceding he has fallen out with some of his former players including Franck Ribéry.
Van Gaal will start his tenure as United’s manager following Holland’s involvement at the World Cup, though the 62-year-old nearly became the Spurs No1 following discussions with Daniel Levy, the chairman, during the winter.
Van Gaal said: “I came very close. Very close. As a little boy I was a fan of Tottenham Hotspur with the team of Jimmy Greaves when he was the champion. Jimmy Greaves was my idol. So I was very close. I was a fan of Spurs during my childhood. Those fantastic white shirts and Jimmy Greaves.”
Van Gaal has a reputation for being authoritarian and while claiming he wants to be liked by players he did speak of those he has fallen out with. “Most of the players [I have managed] are saying lovely things about me,” he said. “There are also players who are very angry with me. Franck Ribéry, Luca Toni, Hristo Stoichkov and Rivaldo.
“I’m bothered about whether the players like me. It’s very important. I am a coach who wants a good relationship with my players. And I do everything to reach that level but sometimes it is not reachable as the players are not open minded and don’t adapt to the norms that I put in the team.”
Van Gaal, whose Holland team face Wales in Amsterdam in a World Cup warm-up game on Wednesday, did not wish to speak about United. “I have said to the CEO of Manchester United Ed Woodward that I only speak about the Dutch national team,” he said.