Van Gaal Loosens grip on United Lunch rules

Louis van Gaal has decided to relax his military-style regime
at Manchester United somewhat, with players now being
given far greater freedom at the dinner table.

The Dutchman has become notorious during his time at the
club for his structured approach to gatherings, with meal
times and other appointments being attended in unison at
the manager’s instruction.

Van Gaal’s insistence was that players form a queue for
meals and then eat together, with everyone waiting until all
staff members had finished their food before leaving.

The formal setup was one of a number of points of
conjecture used by critics as examples that the boss was
out of touch with his first-team squad.

According to Goal, restrictions have now been
reduced around the Carrington training complex, with
players arriving to eat at various times rather than as a
whole group, after several senior figures raised the issue
with Van Gaal during clear-the-air talks during their festive
slump.

Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Juan Mata led the calls
for players to have more say in when and what they ate for
lunch at the training ground, with the Dutchman bowing to
their request.

The relaxation of Van Gaal’s ‘iron fist’ could help to lighten
the mood around Old Trafford, coming hot on the heels of
Sunday’s crucial 1-0 victory over fierce rivals Liverpool at
Anfield which lifted United into fifth place in the Premier
League.

The decision to allow players greater freedom has certainly
coincided with an upturn in form, with United winning three
of their last four matches after going eight games without a
win across November and December.