'You Can Leave': Former Man Utd Defender Reveals How Louis van Gaal Forced Him Out of the Club

Former Manchester United defender Rafael spoke about his hostile relationship with previous United boss Louis van Gaal in a recent interview.

Rafael was at United for seven years, playing over 100 games and winning three Premier League titles during his time at the club. However, when Sir Alex Ferguson left, things took a turn for the worst for the Brazilian.

Louis van Gaal was appointed, and the right back found opportunities in the team few and far between, and he felt like the only option was to leave his beloved United.

In a recent interview with  ESPN , Rafael revealed: "When it was announced that Van Gaal was taking over, four or five people, including players, called me to say that he doesn't like Brazilian players." 

"They pointed out what had happened with Rivaldo at Barcelona, but I didn't believe it."

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He continued: "In his first season, Van Gaal called me to his office and said: 'You can leave. The meeting lasted one minute. That was it: 'You can leave.' It took time for me to go, but I was desperate to leave when I did, and that saddens me because I loved everything about Manchester United."

Rafael joined Lyon in 2015, while Van Gaal was eventually sacked in 2016 after a lack of domestic success. The 66-year-old only managed to win an FA Cup and was unable to steer United back to the top of the Premier League table.

Instead, his way of playing football was branded as 'boring' and 'ineffective' by United fans. Van Gaal hasn't managed since his sacking in 2016.