Rooney: 'Sir Alex Ferguson is not the best coach'

Wayne Rooney has been under the guidance of numerous elite managers throughout his football career, yet he claims only one was genuinely superior in tactics — and that person is not Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rooney is a Manchester United legend, having played over 400 matches under Sir Alex, winning 5 Premier League titles and 1 Champions League. However, their relationship once soured when Rooney requested to leave the club in 2010, fearing United was losing its appeal for top stars. Despite this, he stayed until 2017, witnessing several managerial changes after Ferguson retired in 2013.

Throughout his career, Rooney also worked with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Roy Hodgson, Steve McClaren, and Sam Allardyce. But according to him, Louis van Gaal left the deepest tactical impression.

Van Gaal managed Man Utd from 2014 to 2016, leading the team to 4th and 5th place finishes in the Premier League before winning the 2016 FA Cup, only to be dismissed two days later. On the Wayne Rooney Show, the former Red Devils captain said: "The best coach I ever worked with is Louis van Gaal, which might sound surprising. Sir Alex knew exactly what he was doing and was a genius, but tactically, Louis van Gaal was far ahead of everyone else."

Rooney explained: "Overall, Alex Ferguson is number one, but tactically, Louis van Gaal was truly exceptional. You just need to watch how he prepares and organizes the defense to learn a lot. The only downside was that in attack, you lose a bit of freedom."

He also admitted: "At that time, I was already thinking about becoming a coach, so I wanted to adopt Van Gaal's approach but give players more freedom in the final third. Van Gaal was truly brilliant, incredibly meticulous. Sometimes training was a bit boring, but every player knew exactly what to do. He was the best, far ahead of the rest."

Comparing the two mentors, Rooney said Ferguson succeeded with a simple approach that encouraged players to take responsibility on the pitch, while Van Gaal built a system based on strict discipline and tight control.

However, that rigidity caused difficulties for many stars. Rooney said: "I saw players almost disappear, especially central midfielders who barely moved. We saw Di Maria and Falcao join Man Utd but struggled to perform. You had to stick to your lane and position. For attacking players, that’s very tough, but defensively it was rock solid."

For Rooney, Sir Alex remains the most well-rounded coach, but Van Gaal is the tactical master from whom he learned the most during his career.