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Louis Van Gaal wants his new stars to dream of Manchester United in their sleep – at the club’s high-tech training complex, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.

The Dutch boss is behind new ­individual sleep pods that have been installed at the Old Trafford giants' Carrington ­training ground as he embarks on a massive behind-the-scenes shake-up.

The sleep pods, complete with ­privacy partitions and lockers, are ­designed to give the players maximum comfort and rest time between sessions when they are training.

And they could become vital ­components for the players as Van Gaal restructures the training schedules which may even include NIGHT sessions as the evenings get darker.

Van Gaal wants all his stars to spend more time at the training ground while he tutors them in his way of working.

As well as sleep pods, the former Holland chief has already authorised major changes which include:

● Installing floodlights on the main training pitch at Carrington.

● Ripping up the pitch to install the same grass system as at Old Trafford.

● Only working with a squad of 22.

● Telling his stars they MUST adapt to his way of working.

● Ordering his players to eat together at Carrington.

(Image: CHRIS NEILL/MAVERICK)

Van Gaal is a stickler for detail and straight after breezing into Old Trafford he was ordering diggers and earth ­ movers be brought in to put up more of a wind break at the training ground.

“Wind is not always the friend of the players,” he said. “It’s not always the friend of the ball and so we have to do something about that. But the facilities are fantastic.”

Even before his arrival his long-term lieutenant Albert Stuivenberg was implementing key changes to the way stars like Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and new boys Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will work.

Van Gaal's arrival at Manchester United:

Stuivenberg, assistant coach ­alongside Ryan Giggs in the new ­set-up, presented his boss with a detailed breakdown of working conditions at Carrington as soon as he arrived.

The facility is rated one of the best in Europe with a state-of-the-art medical wing, ­gymnasium packed with scientific ­equipment and a hydrotherapy pool for rehabilitation of injuries, but Van Gaal still wants some areas tweaked.

The 62-year-old coach, who guided Holland to third place at the World Cup and has won league titles at Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, has a clear strategy for success.

Temporary floodlights will give way to permanent structures over the main show pitch at Carrington, with Van Gaal wanting the option to run training sessions later in the day and even at night.

(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

That will be a dramatic departure from the 10am starts under Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.

Before he took formal charge, Van Gaal had Giggs and Stuivenberg taking afternoon sessions – the second of the day – at almost 5pm to get ­players used to more changes to come.

Van Gaal likes to work with only 22 players in training, believing a bigger group hinders his work which can often be hands-on with certain players.

Moyes implemented a raft of ­changes to the club’s academy and scouting set-up, believing he would be at United long-term to carry out his plans.

But Van Gaal will not make that same mistake.

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He will take a keen ­interest in the players coming through the youth system, but he has made it clear to the coaching staff that his ­priority is to get the first team ­winning again – and fast. He ­intends to ­concentrate on developing his playing pattern and will demand the full co-operation of the players to carry out his instructions on the pitch.

Anyone not buying into his way will be quickly isolated. But beneath his no-nonsense, brusque exterior, lies a human touch that has taken workers at Carrington by surprise.

And Van Gaal’s arrival has already been hailed as a step ­forward from the dark struggles under Moyes last term.

One training-ground source told People Sport: “The atmosphere is ­entirely different. There has been a noticeable bounce about the place. Van Gaal is clearly someone who demands total dedication from those he works with and he knows what he wants.

“But there is a genuine warmth about him, too, and he has clearly bought into the family-style ­atmosphere behind the scenes.

“I saw him ­talking to someone who has been ­working at the club as a ­foot soldier for over 20 years.

“He was as interested to talk to him as he was with Giggs – it was nice to see and that has gone down well with all the ­ordinary people at Carrington.”

Here's our very own Dream Team

1 Peter Shhhhilton

2 Zat Knighty-night

3 Kip Symons

4 Noddy Styles

5 Terry Horlicks

6 Snoreman Hunter

7 Charles Insomnia

8 Andrea Pillow

9 Rip van Wolfswinkel

10 Zzzzinedine Zidane

11 Dozy Altidore

Manager: Duvet Rosler.