Rojo says Van Gaal has a 'bulldog face' but defended the Manchester United manager's methods

Rojo feels Van Gaal can be scary before you get to know him

Manchester United and Argentina defender Marcos Rojo believes that Louis Van Gaal gets along with the players only if they listen intently to him, The Daily Mail reported. Despite admitting being scared of the Dutchman’s ‘bulldog face’ Rojo rose to defend his manager’s personality and methods, which have come under fire recently for having irked some senior members of the Manchester United squad.

'He has a bulldog face, but he is great guy,' Rojo told Fox Sports Argentina. 'He's scary at first, but when you get to know him and relate to him on daily basis, you get along. But only if you listen to him.

The former Barcelona coach has drawn flak for his regimental training methods that have been supposedly been putting considerable strain on the squad, with the coach admitting that captain Wayne Rooney, and vice-captain Micheal Carrick had raised the issue off a ‘lack of morale’ in the dressing room with the manager.

Van Gaal says he sees this as an evidence of the ‘superb relationship’ he has with his players; that they come to talk to him about the atmosphere of the dressing room, or training methods.

“He has a really strong personality, but he is a great person. He listens to us, and even speaks a little bit of Spanish, so he always takes me to his office for a pep talk,” the Argentine defender said.

Rojo is yet to play for United this season, after just recently having recovered from a groin injury. If his pre-season was any indicator of things to come, he might have to wait for a while and prove his worth before he is a regular in the team again. The Argentine was fined for turning up late for their pre-season tour due to issues with his passport, and rumours were rife of him leaving for different shores, particularly to Monaco in exchange, as part of the deal that brought Anthony Martial to Old Trafford.

Rojo though, feels his trouble with Van Gaal, is not as a result of his South American roots. Back in July, Diego Forlan had suggested Van Gaal had never been a fan of players from the continent.

'The fact that he holds a bad relationship with South American player is just a feeling [opinion],' Rojo added.

'I've been there with [Antonio] Valencia, [Radamel] Falcao, Angel [Di Maria] and he treated us all the same, he never treated us differently.

'Maybe because of his [poor] relationship with Roman [Riquelme] or with Angel leaving, some people got the wrong idea, but he treats us all the same. He is a great person and makes no differences between Europeans and South Americans.'