Kieft slams Van Gaal for treatment of Giggs

Former Netherlands international Wim Kieft says Ryan Giggs is being ignored by Louis van Gaal as the Manchester United manager favours his Dutch counterparts.

Giggs is set to succeed Van Gaal at Old Trafford after the 2016-17 season but in the meantime, the United icon is the latter’s right-hand man.

The 13-time Premier League winner was appointed assistant following the arrival of Van Gaal last term, while Dutchmen Frans Hoek and Albert Stuivenberg were also added to the coaching staff.

But Kieft, who earned 42 caps for Netherlands between 1981 and 1993, believes Giggs is being poorly treated by Van Gaal, pointing to Tuesday’s Champions League clash at PSV Eindhoven.

“No one in Holland could believe what we saw when United played PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League,” the 52-year-old told the Mirror.

“When Luke Shaw was injured, they had eight minutes to prepare Marcos Rojo to come on as a substitute.

“How did they use that time? First of all, Frans Hoek comes out with a pack of papers and then has to put his glasses on to read instructions out to Rojo.

“Then Van Gaal’s other assistant, Albert Stuivenberg, goes and tells Rojo what to do.

“And finally, Van Gaal thinks, ‘I better instruct him in my own words’, so, he is, the third guy telling Rojo how to play.

“Ryan Giggs was nowhere to be seen, and he is the one man on Van Gaal’s coaching staff who has played more matches at top level than any of the other coaches and has major experience.

“It seems Van Gaal is relying too much on his Dutch staff – and we all saw the problems that caused when he did the same thing at Barcelona.”