Louis van Gaal: Ronald Koeman defends old Ajax enemy after Manchester United sacking

The pair endured a difficult relationship when Van Gaal was Koeman’s director of football at Ajax just over a decade ago

Ronald Koeman (2015 Getty Images)

Ronald Koeman has emerged as an unlikely ally to Louis van Gaal, the deposed Manchester United manager, hailing his “dignity” in the wake of José Mourinho’s appointment.

United moved to replace the former Barcelona and Bayern München boss with Mourinho, his old protégé at Camp Nou, after months of speculation linking the Portuguese with the post.

Koeman's intervention may surprise some, however, after the pair endured a difficult relationship when Van Gaal was the 53-year-old's director of football at Ajax just over a decade ago.

But the Southampton manager has leapt to his former colleague’s defence after the media was informed of his Old Trafford demise as United celebrated their FA Cup triumph at Wembley.

“I have watched the process around Louis and José from a distance,” Koeman told the Daily Mirror. “For months we were all reading that Mourinho was busy with Manchester United.

“If Louis was not told about getting the sack until after the FA Cup Final, then Manchester United as a club don’t deserve a medal for the way they treated him. If you know a little bit about the business at the highest level in football, then you know that these kind of deals are not done overnight.

“But Louis has been put under tremendous pressure for months. This is why I admire the way he kept his dignity. Of course, he had a number of run-ins with the media and there were moments when I thought ‘Louis, you could have dealt with that in another way.’ But Louis is Louis.

“But looking at the incredible pressure all around him, I think he did a great job winning a big trophy like the FA Cup.”