On the cusp of winning a Serie A title with Inter Milan, Matteo Darmian has lifted the lid on what it was like playing for Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Signed by van Gaal from Torino in 2015, the Italian made almost 100 appearances for the English giants across a four-year spell at the club.
Currently playing for Antonio Conte on loan at Inter Milan from Parma whom he joined after leaving United, Darmian does not look back too fondly at his time in England.
Manchester United's Matteo Darmian lifts the Emirates FA Cup Trophy"Van Gaal was an obsessive about rules," recalled in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. "He was the one who wanted me at United.
"One of the first days in Manchester he took me aside and said: ‘You are here thanks to me. You have my confidence, you will compete with (Antonio) Valencia, know that the name doesn’t matter to me’.
"It was like that."
FA Cup winners in Darmian's first season at the club, it was to be the last for Louis van Gaal. Replaced by Jose Mourinho that summer, the Italian did not go into specifics on the Portuguese.
However, when speaking about his current manager Conte, Darmian admitted that his experience at United left something to be desired.
“He has great ideas," he remarked of the former Chelsea and Italy boss, "tactically, he’s a step ahead."
Sitting 11 points clear of second-placed Atalanta in the Serie A, Inter Milan are looking to win their first title in 11 years as Jose Mourinho lead the club to an historic treble.
With only five games remaining in the season, Inter could have the league wrapped up as early as this coming Sunday if they can beat Crotone and Atalanta fail to pick up a result at Sassuolo.
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