Van Gaal did not scare me says Pedro
PEDRO has attacked Louis van Gaal’s treatment of Manchester United outcast Victor Valdes as unfair, but denied he rejected Old Trafford because he did not want to work under the hard- line Dutchman.
The Spain forward swapped Barcelona for Chelsea in a surprise £ 22million move just days before the transfer deadline, when he had seemed certain to be heading for United.
There were reports Pedro had turned his back on Van Gaal because of the Dutchman’s strained relationship with his Spanish players at Old Trafford.
Goalkeeper Valdes, below, close friend of Pedro, has been left out of United’s Champions League squad and told he has no future at the club by Van Gaal, while David de Gea missed out on a deadline- day move to Real Madrid and has not played this season.
But Pedro, who scored on his debut for Chelsea in their only win of the season so far at West Brom, said: “It’s true that I don’t like to see my team- mates treated in this way, especially Victor, who has always been a great friend to me and a top professional.
“I don’t think it’s fair, but it didn’t infl uence my decision. I saw that United had not taken the next step in signing me and I needed a team to start the season with.
“Chelsea were very decisive. I am convinced I have chosen well.”
He also denied Valdes had warned him away from Old Trafford. “I
a spoke a lot with Victor. He said it was a very good club with great fans and that the only problem he had was the situation with his coach,” said Pedro.
The 28- year- old is adamant he has made the right move and revealed he has changed his opinion of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho since joining the club.
There was little love lost between Barcelona and Mourinho when he was in charge at Real Madrid, but Pedro said: “He is very different face to face. He treats you like one of his family, that you are wanted.
“He has a lot of character, a great mentality and that is great. I have enjoyed it under his orders, doing his training and the chances he has given me in the team, and that is the most important thing. “It was an important conversation with him. He gave me his confi dence that I was going to arrive and play, that I would make the team stronger, give us a better squad. That was important for me because I am a team player.”
Pedro had a sparkling debut at the Hawthorns, scoring one goal and setting up another, but Chelsea’s poor start to the season continued with last Saturday’s home defeat by Crystal Palace.
He said: “The most surprising thing about the