Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has said that Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal rules his players by fear.
United’s hopeful fourth-place finish took a drastic turn on Saturday after they lost 2-1 to Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.
Southampton are hot on the heels of United for Champions League qualification and Saints boss Koeman has discussed his time working under Van Gaal at Barcelona, saying his approach puts too much pressure on his players.
“When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality,” said the Southampton manager. “But you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything. And that will cause clashes.
“There is a big difference between him and me as managers. I was his assistant at Barcelona after the World Cup in 1998. I learned a lot of things from him.
“But the way he handles his players is totally different from the way I work. I don’t put as much pressure on the shoulder of players.
“When you have Van Gaal in charge, it is a fact that there is fear in his team. The players have a fear for mister Van Gaal. That is not always good.”