VAN GAAL: ‘I’M NOT A DICTATOR’

LOUIS VAN GAAL has insisted he is not a dictator and is open to change after a warning from Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick that the Manchester United dressing room has gone ‘flat’. The manager admitted to being alarmed by the concerns of two senior players over his regimented approach, but claimed he still has a good relationship with the squad. The issue overshadows the build-up to today’s home clash with archrivals Liverpool, and goalkeeper David de Gea signing a new contract at United following the collapse of his move to Real Madrid. Van Gaal said: ‘I am not a dictator, I am a communicator. Rooney and Carrick, the captains, came to me and said: “The dressing room is flat. We want to say that to you to help you”. ‘So I communicated not only with my captains, I went to the dressing room and tried to communicate with my players. ‘I have a superb relationship with my players. As a manager, I’ve never had so many players come to say something about the atmosphere in the dressing room, about the way we train. ‘But now it was Carrick and Rooney and that was alarming because they are the captains.’ The players’ worries centred on the Dutchman’s rigid tactics and analytical approach to games said to be affecting morale. It has been mirrored on the pitch, with United lacking a spark and scoring just three goals in four Premier League games so far. Van Gaal said: ‘I have changed the way that I say the game plan to them. Now I ask in advance and they can say what they want. ‘They have to explain why and how, and then I’ll listen.’ De Gea completed a remarkable turnaround yesterday by signing a new four-year contract at United worth £200,000 a week with the option of a 12-month extension.