Juan Mata details Louis van Gaal's intimidating introductory meeting at Manchester United

Manchester United star Juan Mata has opened up about his first encounter with Louis van Gaal and admitted he was initially somewhat taken aback by the Dutchman’s unusual methods. Van Gaal took over in 2014 and managed 103 games at United. He had 54 victories, 25 draws and 24 defeats. He has won his first trophy with United, the FA Cup, when his side defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra time. Two days later, he was sacked by the club. In his new book "Juan Mata: Suddenly A Footballer", the player revealed what took place during his first meeting with the new manager. “Hi, I’m Louis van Gaal, please can you introduce yourself and tell me things about you?”, recalled Mata. “The manager, Ryan Giggs, myself and a bottle of Rioja wine - which he suggested we should try - were in that room. “It was pre-season, Los Angeles, and I was about to ‘introduce myself ’ to my new coach. “Those who know Van Gaal know how intimidating he can be, face-to-face. Things about myself? I thought. What does he mean? I didn’t know where to start. I took the safe route. “My name is Juan, I'm 26 and I’ve been playing football since I’ve had a memory . . . ” “I know that,” he interrupted. “Tell me about your personal life. Do you have a wife? Children? What do you like apart from football?” “He started firing off direct questions about my life and career before moving on to footballing matters: 'Where do you think you can play? What’s your position? Where do you see yourself in this system?' “Louis wanted to see what we were made of and how we reacted through his interrogation. He simply wanted to get to know his players better on and off the pitch. “The frightening aura around him soon dissipated to reveal a kind-hearted man. We started to notice how emotional he would get during his briefings. “When we had played very well or covered more ground and had more chances than the opposition, you could see the spark in his eyes, portraying how moved he was by his players’ effort. “Louis wanted to see what we were made of and how we reacted through his interrogation. He simply wanted to get to know his players better on and off the pitch. “The frightening aura around him soon dissipated to reveal a kind-hearted man. We started to notice how emotional he would get during his briefings. “When we had played very well or covered more ground and had more chances than the opposition, you could see the spark in his eyes, portraying how moved he was by his players’ effort. “Louis wanted to see what we were made of and how we reacted through his interrogation. He simply wanted to get to know his players better on and off the pitch. “The frightening aura around him soon dissipated to reveal a kind-hearted man. We started to notice how emotional he would get during his briefings. “When we had played very well or covered more ground and had more chances than the opposition, you could see the spark in his eyes, portraying how moved he was by his players’ effort. “Louis wanted to see what we were made of and how we reacted through his interrogation. He simply wanted to get to know his players better on and off the pitch. “The frightening aura around him soon dissipated to reveal a kind-hearted man. We started to notice how emotional he would get during his briefings. “When we had played very well or covered more ground and had more chances than the opposition, you could see the spark in his eyes, portraying how moved he was by his players’ effort."

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