Louis van Gaal hits back after ex-Man Utd star claims he ‘hates Brazilians’ | OneFootball

Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has hit back at Rafael over claims he ‘hates Brazilians.

When van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford in 2014, Rafael was still a United regular, but the full-back soon saw his playing time limited and went on to join Lyon a year later.

In a recent story from The Athletic, Rafael spoke of his disappointment of how he was treated by van Gaal.

And he even claimed that there was a reputation around the Dutch boss that he ‘hates Brazilians’.

He said: “I never got an explanation. When Van Gaal arrived, he just said: ‘OK, you leave’, He came in with an idea of the players he wanted, and didn’t want, and set about making those changes instantly. He never explained it to me.

“But I’ve heard a few explanations from other people and, even before he arrived, everyone was telling me, ‘He hates Brazilians’.”

Van Gaal, however, is having none of it, making it clear that Rafael was displaced because of the form of Antonio Valencia.

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He told The Athletic: “You can’t imagine a human being or coach — if he doesn’t think one Brazilian is professional – thinks the same of the rest of the population of Brazil.

“He (Rafael) was played out of the team by Antonio Valencia.

“Honestly, he lost the battle with Valencia. I transformed Valencia from a right-winger to a right full-back.

“Valencia also played as a right full-back after my dismissal for the coach Jose Mourinho, so was my choice a bad one?”

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Rafael went on to spend five years with Lyon before joining Turkish outfit Basaksehir last year.

Meanwhile, van Gaal left United in 2016 and remains out of management following his tricky Old Trafford spell which saw him only win the FA Cup in his two years in charge.