Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo has revealed that manager Louis van Gaal can have “a little bit of a dog” look when he is unhappy but is a “great person.”

Van Gaal has built up a brutal reputation during his time in management. The Dutchman is well known for his no nonsense style, and takes no prisoners when it comes to discipline. The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona coach has had several high profile bust-ups in his time, most recently with goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

On Thursday, it was reported that a group of United players confronted the Dutchman over his training methods earlier this season – but these voices apparently fell on deaf ears.

Marcos Rojo signed for United in the summer of 2014 from Sporting Lisbon. The central defender came with a reputation for being a little rash after being shown red on various occasions in his career. Nevertheless, despite all the early assumptions, the Argentine was perfectly disciplined on and off the field.

The 25-year-old has not played a single game for United so far this season after being deemed unfit by Van Gaal, who believes the player let himself go too much after the Copa America, meaning far more match fitness was needed.

Asked in an interview with Fox Sports Argentina about Van Gaal’s “serious look” and “dog face”, Rojo replied: “He has a strong personality but he is a great person.”

“He’s got that look, a little bit of a dog. It’s scary but when you know him and you are there with him on a daily basis, everything is well, provided you obey!”

“He is a great person, he understands you, he listens. He speaks a bit of Spanish so very often he gets me to his office for a chat.”

Asked whether Van Gaal has a preference for European players over South American players, Rojo said:
“Perhaps that is the feeling people have from outside but I’ve been there, with Falcao, [Antonio] Valencia, Angel [Di Maria], he treated everyone the same.”

“In some cases, with [former Barcelona midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme] and with Angel, it was noticeable that he had half a short fuse. But I think he is a great person. He never makes a distinction.”

“He doesn’t give any preference to the Europeans.”

[Quotes via ESPN]