Wayne Rooney has revealed a hilariously awkward encounter between his wife Coleen and former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal during the Dutchman’s time at Old Trafford.
Van Gaal, who managed United from 2014 to 2016, made Rooney his captain upon arrival and developed a close relationship with the striker.
Rooney went on to score 29 goals in 79 appearances under him, winning the FA Cup in 2016 before Van Gaal’s eventual dismissal.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, the club’s all-time leading scorer recalled the first time Van Gaal met Coleen at a players’ lunch.
Wayne Rooney enjoyed working under Louis van Gaal during their time at Man Utd together
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True to his larger-than-life personality, the Dutchman wasted no time in making an eyebrow-raising remark.
“I loved him, he was so funny,” Rooney said. “The first time he met Coleen, we had a lunch with all the players, wives, girlfriends, staff.
"He came up to Coleen, first time he had met her, he said: ‘Your children, they look very much like the father.’
"She said: ‘Yeah.’ He said: ‘He has very strong sperm.’ That was the first time he met her!”
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While some might have been taken aback, Rooney insisted he saw the funny side.
“He was so funny, such a good character. We just moved on," he continued. "I really liked him as a person. He was different and funny but as a coach I probably learned more from him than I did from anyone else.”
Van Gaal’s eccentric personality made him a memorable figure at Carrington, but his time in charge was ultimately defined by mixed results.
Despite leading United to their first FA Cup triumph in 12 years with a 2-1 extra-time victory over Crystal Palace at Wembley in 2016, he was dismissed just two days later after failing to qualify for the Champions League.
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Louis van Gaal was sacked as Manchester United manager despite guiding the club to FA Cup glory in 2016
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Jesse Lingard’s stunning winner sealed the trophy, but Van Gaal’s joy was short-lived.
Rumours of his impending departure surfaced during the match itself. Rooney revealed that the manager’s wife may have been informed at half-time, and the celebrations afterwards were overshadowed by the news.
“I have so much respect for him,” Rooney explained.
“I think his wife maybe found out at half-time of the game. We won the cup, we had the after party.
"Louis was stood over with his wife and a couple of friends and he was very quiet, that just wasn’t him. When you see his character and personality, that just was not him.
“I went up to him and said: ‘Boss, whatever is going on, just forget it and enjoy tonight.’ And he couldn’t. It was tough for us because we respected him.”
Rooney also recalled Van Gaal’s professionalism the following morning.
“He made us all get up at 8am, come down for breakfast and we are all hungover," he continued.
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Jose Mourinho replaced Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager in 2016
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"Fair play to him, he gave every player the schedule, what he wants from them, what he expects from them in the off-season. He stuck to his job until it was confirmed he was sacked.
“It was really sad because you looked at him, big personality, we had just won the FA Cup, and he knew, we all knew, that he was going to be sacked.
"Fair play to him, he stuck to his job until the end and I have a lot of respect for him for that.”