Former Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin has hit out against his old manager Louis Van Gaal, claiming he was afforded “little freedom” on the pitch and was subsequently turned into a “robot”.

Schneiderlin was signed by Van Gaal in 2015, moving to Old Trafford for £20m, but left last January after 18 months of minimal impact at the club. The Frenchman made a total of 32 league appearances across the two seasons and scored just once.

The Frenchman has refused to take responsibility for his limited influence on the pitch, however, and has pointed the blame in the direction of the now retired Van Gaal.

Speaking to L'Equipe, Schneiderlin said: “The first year with Louis van Gaal sticks in the throat. I didn't take any pleasure on the pitch. He left me little freedom in my game, even though I have quite a lot of experience in the Premier League.

“With him, I felt like playing a robot. They said to me, ‘You must never go and get the ball in this part of the pitch, you must not do this, that’. These instructions may have disturbed me a little.

“When a player wonders during a game, ‘What does the coach want me to do?’, he begins to be less efficient. Especially at Manchester United, in a context where all matches are scrutinised by the media and where one can quickly be criticised from everywhere.”