Louis van Gaal is 'great on the pitch' but a 'bad man', says Franck Ribery as he reveals relationship with Manchester United boss

Bayern Munich winger says his relationship with Dutch coach was 'crushed'

(Getty Images)

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery has lifted the lid on his relationship with Louis van Gaal that almost saw him leave the German giants.

Van Gaal, who was in charge of the Bundesliga club between 2009 and 2011, has been described as a 'bad man' who had problems on a human level with the French winger.

The Manchester United led Bayern to a league and cup double in 2010 but struggled the next year.

Ribery has revealed that he never got on with the coach and eventually lost his trust.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal (Getty Images)

"We had problems on a human basis. When he started, nobody knew what was going to happen," he told Goal.com.

"His idea was that he did not care about names at all, you don't need stars, everybody had to prove themselves again.

"The first contact with him was already poisoned. As a professional you lose your trust. He does great things on the pitch but the coach Van Gaal was a bad man. Our relationship was crushed."

Ribery added that his problems with Van Gaal almost saw him leave the club, with a number of European giants circling.

"It was a burden," he added. "Many clubs tried to persuade me to change: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester City. You start to think. I made up my mind about where my future should lie. I think that this is human."