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Man Utd coach poured wine all over Louis van Gaal after cheeky jab at Sir Alex Ferguson
Rene Meulensteen had Sir Alex Ferguson's back at Man Utd
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Rene Meulensteen spent 12 years at Manchester United, split over two spells, acting as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's closest allies. And he has revealed a story about the time he poured wine over Louis van Gaal after not taking kindly to comments aimed at the legendary Scotsman in 2010.
It was the night of April 7, 13 years ago, when Van Gaal's Bayern Munich lost 3-2 at Old Trafford but progressed into the Champions League semi-finals on away goals.
United had led 3-0 on the night and looked set to move one step away from a third consecutive Champions League final, but Ivica Olic's strike before the break and Arjen Robben's late volley dashed the hosts' hopes.
During his iconic tenure at the helm, Ferguson carried a tradition of welcoming the opposition manager into his office for a glass of wine after home games.
But in his new book - United, Sir Alex and Me - Meulensteen goes into detail about his life as Ferguson's assistant.
And he reveals that after Van Gaal produced a smug remark about how his Bundesliga giants bettered United, he deliberately poured wine onto his fellow Netherlands native.
"It was a bitter feeling, and I wasn't impressed by Van Gaal in the gaffer's office afterwards," Meulensteen writes.
"I was pouring the wine as they both took a seat. 'Do you know why we won the game?' Van Gaal asked Sir Alex. 'It's because I gave a better team talk.'
"I might have deliberately been a little energetic with my pouring of his wine – missing the glass and getting it over his trousers and shoes. 'Sorry about that,' I said, with much less polite words running through my head."
Van Gaal replaced David Moyes in 2014, a decision by which Meulensteen was surprisingly uninspired.
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And the 59-year-old wasn't surprised to see the Dutchman sacked after just two seasons at the helm due to his style of play and attitude towards English football.
He notes: "Straight away, I was concerned because he's so rigid in his way of thinking.
"I don't know whether he respected the Premier League enough. But more than anything, I knew his possession-based style was going to move away from what United stood for.
"United is all about being gung-ho, tempo, speed, intensity, energy — not playing a chess game. I didn't feel it was the right choice, and when it panned out that way, it wasn't a surprise."
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