Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal a 'bad man' says Frank Ribery

Bayern Munich winger Frank Ribery says such was his personal clash with Louis van Gaal – the Manchester United manager – that he almost accepted a move to Chelsea.

Van Gaal spent two seasons as coach of the Bavarian giants, winning three major trophies including the Bundesliga title in his first campaign, but his no-nonsense reputation ruffled feathers at Bayern.

A regular employment of youth players saw several Bayern stalwarts displaced in the first team and according to Ribery, their relationship was such that he almost moved to Chelsea or Manchester City after becoming frustrated by the current United boss.

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

"It was a burden. 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."

Van Gaal suffered from teething problems at the start of his spell at United, with the club falling off the pace in the race for a Champions League spot after winning just four of their opening 10 Premier League games.

But after a third win in a row over Aston Villa saw the club open up an eight-point lead over fifth-place Liverpool and jump above champions Manchester City, United winger Ashley Young says the entire squad is behind Van Gaal's philosophy.

"When you go out on the pitch there are 11 leaders," Young, whose side are only eight points behind leaders Chelsea with seven games left, told FIFA.com. "Everyone has a voice and gives their input into the team. I think that's what helps, that everyone's pulling in the right direction and buying into the manager's philosophy."