Wayne Rooney believes Louis van Gaal was tactically better than Sir Alex Ferguson

Louis van Gaal came in for plenty of criticism throughout his spell as Manchester United manager

Van Gaal faced something of a player revolt at Old Trafford at stages of his time in charge but there were some positives to the Dutchman's stint. Former United player Wayne Rooney has come to the defence of Van Gaal by surprisingly declaring him the best tactician he played under, even more so than the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. "He (Van Gaal) was tactically the best I have worked with – in terms of setting you up in a shape defensively and everyone knowing their roles," Rooney told talkSPORT. "It was just about getting the attacking side right as well as the defensive side. He won a few trophies but it didn’t pan out the way everyone would have hoped." Rooney spent 13 years with the Red Devils before he returned to boyhood club Everton in 2017. During his conversation about his former managers, Rooney also discussed David Moyes' ill-fated tenure after he succeeded his fellow Scot, Ferguson. The DC United forward said: "I think Moyes was a bit of a surprise choice but his record at Everton over ten years was great. "He got them into the Champions League, finished in the top half almost every year and did a fantastic job. "I think what Manchester United were trying to do at the time was bring someone in who had longevity in them as a manager. "It didn’t work for David Moyes and they then went for the experience of Louis van Gaal."