• Premier League

Van Gaal tipped to be next Special One

May 7, 2014

Louis van Gaal could rival Jose Mourinho as the Premier League's 'Special One' if, as expected, the Dutchman is appointed Manchester United manager, according to his former assistant.

Shota Arveladze, who worked with van Gaal when he led AZ Alkmaar to Eredivisie glory in 2009, said the Netherlands coach would bring something different to English football, threatening the Chelsea manager's 'special' title.

Speaking to the BBC, Arveladze said: "[Van Gaal] is very honest and very straight, and the people around him think 'this is something special that he has'.

"You already have the Special One, but [van Gaal] will bring something really different to what you already have in the league."

United had been expected to appoint van Gaal on Wednesday, but ESPN understands no announcement will be made until after Sunday's game at Southampton at the earliest.

The former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has a reputation as a disciplinarian, but Arveladze played down suggestions that his presence in the changing room is akin to that of a dictator.

"On first impression, he is really hard and, I hear, like a dictator, but this is absolutely not the case," he said. "What he really dictates is the way he wants to play, the way he sees the game. He is the best at showing [the team] how to play football and how to succeed."

Arveladze contrasted van Gaal's style with that of former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose infamous 'hairdryer' treatment resulted in high-profile changing room confrontations with players such as Wayne Rooney.

"I believe I have had around 20 coaches in my career, all of them very famous and very successful. But there was only one who could come inside and give us three or four minutes to say what we had to do to win," Arveladze said.

"It can be hard to read him. When you think everything is going well and that you can relax a bit, then he can be hard. But when you think he will come and smash things and make a mess of the dressing room, he knows how to treat [players to make them] win."

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