Gary Neville has defended new Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from criticism by Louis van Gaal, claiming the Dutchman produced the worst football he has ever seen at Old Trafford. Van Gaal had criticised Solskjaer, accusing him of setting up to 'park the bus' rather than attack teams. But Neville hit back, insisting: 'I saw Louis van Gaal the other day say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's football is like Jose Mourinho's but winning. Van Gaal's football at Man Utd was the worst I've ever seen and Mourinho's was far better, even though it wasn't acceptable in terms of what the fans want to see. Gary Neville (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrate Manchester United's title win in 2003 Louis van Gaal watches from the sidelines in December 2015 during his reign as United boss 'We've had a lot of change at the club in the last four or five years with different managers coming in, world-class managers and it hasn't worked. Ole has brought a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans, which is at least something because it has been difficult to watch over the last three or four years.' Former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, who with Neville and Solskjaer won multiple trophies at United, believes the new manager has given the fans something to believe in again. 'It is a great appointment,' he said. 'It's exciting watching Manchester United. It's back. It's been gone for a little bit. 'You're excited to go and watch some of the players that are performing so well now under Ole, that didn't perform so well under the previous managers.'<doc-sep>The former Old Trafford boss was critical of the style of play under the Norwegian and Neville was having none of it Manchester United legend Gary Neville has hit back at Louis van Gaal’s comments about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s football. Two days before Solskjaer was named permanent United boss, Van Gaal, who managed the club between 2014 and 2016, accused the Norwegian of ‘parking the bus’ like his predecessor Jose Mourinho. Getty 2 Gary Neville and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were team-mates at Manchester United But Neville was having none of it and hit back, insisting the Dutchman’s football was the worst he’d ever seen at Old Trafford. Neville, who won eight Premier League titles with United, said: “I saw Louis van Gaal the other day say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s football is like Jose Mourinho’s but winning. getty 2 Louis van Gaal had his critics during his time at Manchester United “Van Gaal’s football at Man United was the worst I’ve ever seen and Mourinho’s was far better, even though it wasn’t acceptable in terms of what the fans want to see. “We’ve had a lot of change at the club in the last four or five years with different managers coming in, world-class managers and it hasn’t worked. “Ole has brought a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans, which is at least something because it has been difficult to watch over the last three or four years.” LIVE on talkSPORT talkSPORT is your home of live football! Here's what's coming up on talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2... West Brom vs Birmingham (Friday, 8pm) – talkSPORT 2 Brighton vs Southampton (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2 West Ham vs Everton (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT Middlesbrough vs Norwich (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT 2 Portsmouth vs Sunderland (Sunday, 2:30pm) – talkSPORT 2 Van Gaal won an FA Cup during his two seasons with United and was constantly criticised for his brand of football. The club failed to qualify for the Champions League in his final season. United are in a similar battle for a top-four place this term, with Solskjaer’s side just two points off fourth-placed Arsenal. And the new United boss does not think Champions League football is vital to signing top players this summer. He said: “Of course we have been discussing how to move the club forward. That doesn’t mean x amount of money or x amount of players. 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We will do some business this summer. “The lure of Champions League football might be important for some players, but to play for Man United, and sign a contract for four or five years, you know you are going to be playing in the Champions League. “We need to get going before the end of the season to hold talks about players, with players, and who’s going to stay here. The short-term priority now is to improve.”<doc-sep>'Van Gaal's football was the worst I've ever seen' - Neville defends Solskjaer in new era for Man Utd A former Red Devils manager has suggested that a Norwegian coach is no more exciting than Jose Mourinho, but he has the backing of a familiar face Louis van Gaal has been told that his brand of football at Manchester United was “the worst”, with Gary Neville quick to defend new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from accusations of being unadventurous. The man who has been filling an interim post at Old Trafford since December is now tied to a permanent three-year contract . Terms are considered to be just reward for a coach who has overseen a reversal in fortune for the Red Devils since stepping into the shoes of the much-maligned Jose Mourinho . Not everything has been plain sailing, though, with former United boss Van Gaal claiming that Solskjaer’s methods are similar to those of his predecessor – he has just won more games. Neville is not buying that assessment, with the former Red Devils defender seeing enough signs of progress to suggest that the right appointment has been made . He told Sky Sports : “Let's be clear, Man United have still got a long way to go before they get back to being anywhere near where they should be and I don't think today is a time to start thinking that Manchester United are going to win the league in the next 10 minutes. “It has been an unhappy place for four or five seasons so I think the first thing is getting the fans excited to be going to the games again. “In the last two or three months, I've felt excited by what I've seen for the first time in a while - the atmosphere in the ground has returned, the joy on the fans' faces, the away following has connected with the team again. The players have upped their game so I think this is phase one, to get the club happy again and that's where it's at. “There is a lot of hard work still to do in the coming months and years to get Man United back to where it was before. “I saw Louis van Gaal the other day say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's football is like Jose Mourinho's but winning. Van Gaal's football at Man United was the worst I've ever seen and Mourinho's was far better, even though it wasn't acceptable in terms of what the fans want to see. Article continues below “We've had a lot of change at the club in the last four or five years with different managers coming in, world-class managers and it hasn't worked. “Ole has bought a level of happiness and excitement back to the fans, which is at least something because it has been difficult to watch over the last three or four years.” Solskjaer has the Red Devils sat two points outside the Premier League’s top four at present, but there are still eight games to come and the welcome distraction of a Champions League challenge which is set to deliver a date with Lionel Messi and Barcelona at the quarter-final stage .<doc-sep>LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho both "park the bus" as coaches. In a revealing interview with Simon Stone of BBC Sport, Van Gaal said the only difference in style between the pair is the Norwegian boss has found a way to utilise Paul Pogba and win with consistency. The Dutchman rejected the idea Solskjaer has brought back the attacking style of Sir Alex Ferguson since the interim boss replaced Mourinho: "People think we have only had fake news since Donald Trump became president. In football we have had it for 50 years. "The coach after me [Mourinho] changed to park-the-bus tactics and played on the counter. Now there is another coach who parks the bus and plays on the counter. The main difference between Mourinho and Solskjaer is that Solskjaer is winning. "I am not there but there does look to be a change and the atmosphere seems to be better. It is also true that Solskjaer has changed Paul Pogba's position and put him into an area where he is much more important. "But the way Manchester United are playing now is not the way Ferguson played. It is defensive, counter-attacking football. If you like it, you like it. If you think it is more exciting than my boring attacking, OK. But it is not my truth." Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images Video Play Button Videos you might like Solskjaer has been applauded for introducing an attacking brand associated with the club, but Van Gaal believes supporters and pundits are incorrect. The former Ajax coach also denied his own United team were "boring" but revealed he had spoken to Ferguson about the issues at the club. "Unfortunately, we are talking about a commercial club, not a football club," said Van Gaal. "I spoke to Ferguson about this and in his last years, he also had problems with it." Van Gaal also commented about the development of Marcus Rashford, with the former coach plucking the youngster from the reserves to feature in his first team. The 67-year-old said that Rashford's "modest" personality suggested to him he would succeed with the Red Devils. Rashford has since gone from strength to strength, cementing himself as United's current striker.<doc-sep>
Manchester United fans' hopes have become a distinct reality with the permanent appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager on a three-year deal. The Norwegian has won 14 of his opening 19 games as boss and has seen his side position themselves with a chance of a top four finish as well as being in the Champions League quarter finals. Various pundits and football experts have had their say on whether a manager with such a slim resume should be given a job of such magnitude, but with his performance up to now it would have taken a strong-willed board not to give him the job. Former Man United boss Louis van Gaal, who managed the side from 2014 to 2016, refused to jump on the Ole bandwagon, claiming that Solskjaer 'parks the bus' similarly to his predecessor Jose Mourinho. “The main difference between Mourinho and Solskjaer is that Solskjaer is winning," Van Gaal told the BBC. “It is also true that Solskjaer has changed Paul Pogba’s position and put him into an area where he is much more important. “But the way Manchester United are playing now is not the way Ferguson played. It is defensive, counter-attacking football. If you like it, you like it. This was bound to cause some uproar from the United faithful with Solskjaer being such a beloved figure at the club, and it caused a rise from a former team mate and a member of the Class of '92, Gary Neville. "I saw Louis van Gaal say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's football is the same as Jose Mourinho's. Louis van Gaal's football at Man Utd was the worst I've ever seen," Neville ranted on Sky Sports News. "Jose Mourinho's was far better than Louis van Gaal's even though it wasn't acceptable in terms of what the fans want to see." Mourinho managed to win a Europa League and a League Cup in his two and a quarter seasons at the club whilst van Gaal picked up a solitary FA Cup during his respective two years. "We've had a lot of change at the club in the last four or five years with different world class managers coming in and it hasn't worked," Neville added. "Ole has brought back a level of happiness with the fans and at least that's something, because to be fair it has been difficult to watch in the last three or four years what we've seen." News Now - Sport News