Louis van Gaal is honest rather than arrogant, says Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho worked under Louis van Gaal at Barcelona

New Man United boss Van Gaal has been labelled arrogant in the past

Van Gaal was unveiled as Manchester United's new manager on Thursday



It's all set to be the battle of the season - the Special One versus the self-proclaimed ‘Number One’.

But the fight for the ascendancy began with great civility on Friday night, as Jose Mourinho curled his lip, shrugged his shoulders and announced that his newest rival - Louis van Gaal - was ‘great, talented and strong. A very, very good coach. He’ll be good for Manchester United’.

It’s not quite the war of egos being anticipated.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Louis van Gaal's Manchester United touch down in America



Good friends: Former Bayern Munich boss Louis van Gaal talks tactics with Jose Mourinho

Mentor: Chelsea boss Mourinho worked under Van Gaal at Barcelona

‘I’m not worried about him being here. I look forward to playing against United. Nothing worries me,’ Mourinho insisted. ‘Louis was the best coach in the World Cup and he is a good friend. Really - a friend for life. I have deep respect for this man.’

The rivalry may deepen as the season progresses, but for now the Chelsea manager is unfazed by the sight of another lion prowling around in the Premier League.



‘I don’t worry about other people, other managers, other clubs - I just worry about what I’m doing, and I’m very happy with everything.

‘I have the perfect squad. Our spending is over. We bought well and in record time. People know that I always play to win and I have the right squad to do that. We’ll do better than last season.’

Mourinho was in central London to be announced as BT Sport’s newest ambassador and football expert. He talked to The Mail on Sunday the day after Van Gaal’s first appearance at Old Trafford. He said: ‘I watched him at his press conference and he was pure Van Gaal - honest and open - the way he always is.'

Winners: Van Gaal poses with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson

The two worked together for three years at Barcelona, where Mourinho was Van Gaal’s pupil and assistant. ‘We got on,’ said Mourinho. ‘Maybe we understood each other.’

For his part, Van Gaal reveals that it was Mourinho’s hostility which caught his attention. ‘He was so angry and shouted so much … so I hired him.’

Does Mourinho think he’s a better coach than Van Gaal? ‘We are both great coaches,’ he says. ‘Both of us. It’s what we were born to do.

‘Louis, he is in the best period of his career. With coaching if you deal with winning and losing in the right way, you improve. He analyses every experience. He has got better and better.’

They have met only once competitively as coaches - in the 2010 Champions League final when Van Gaal’s Bayern lost to Mourinho’s Internazionale.



‘We were very professional and kept our friendship on the biggest possible stage. When it’s Chelsea against Manchester United we will do the same thing.’

Mourinho says his big task now is to bring the new squad he has together - get to know the new players and understand them a little better, spend time with the young players, and make sure there are no gaps created by the departing players.

‘I want the players to respect me - not because I am the gaffer or because I am older than them. I want them to respect me because I am a very good coach, and I always try to be fair.'