Louis van Gaal has torn into Manchester United chief Ed Woodward, saying he has 'zero understanding of football'.

Van Gaal managed United for two seasons between 2014 and 2016, taking the team to fourth and fifth in the table and winning the FA Cup in his final game.

He received plenty of criticism during his time at the club but has now come out to defend himself in a German magazine.

Former Man United manager Louis van Gaal has slammed the club's chief Ed Woodward

Van Gaaal says executive vice-chairman Woodward 'has zero understanding of football'

The Dutchman believes that his former club have struggled since they replaced him with Jose Mourinho for 'business' reasons.

He said: 'At Bayern, the people in charge are football men. I always appreciated that.

'At Manchester United, on the other hand, Ed Woodward was installed as CEO — somebody with zero understanding of football who was previously an investment banker.

'It cannot be a good thing when a club is run solely from a commercially-driven perspective.'

'I don't hold it against the club. They wanted Mourinho and he was on the market.'

Van Gaaal poses with Woodward after becoming United's new manager in 2014

'But appointing Mourinho was obviously interesting from a business point of view.'

He explained: 'He wins games. And for a club like United, the main thing is to win trophies.

'How they are won isn't the main priority, the English fans see it differently.

'They accept that the game is not all about attacking but it is also about defending.

'I always tried to defend high up the pitch, to be in the opposition's half and play the game there.'