Former Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez says that his ex-coach Louis van Gaal's strong character will have been seen during recent issues with Manchester United goalkeepers Victor Valdes and David De Gea.

The last few weeks have seen the goalkeeping position uncertain at Old Trafford, with both Valdes and De Gea out of favour when the season started, and the two Spain internationals seemingly set to leave Old Trafford during the last days of the summer's transfer window.

But Valdes' move to Besiktas collapsed late in the day, with De Gea's proposed transfer to Real Madrid falling through after the paperwork was not completed before the deadline.

Xavi has experience of working alongside all three of Van Gaal, Valdes and De Gea, and days after making his debut for Qatari club Al-Sadd, the veteran midfielder told Marca that for better or worse the Dutch coach's character would have played a role in what went on.

"With Victor I don't know what happened," Xavi said. "At the time, Van Gaal helped him to go to United, but something happened between them. They are two guys with very strong characters. With De Gea I am sure that it was all done face to face, without any deception. Van Gaal is very direct and honest. I prefer people like that. A trustworthy guy, which does not mean to say he cannot make mistakes."