In an interview with the German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has criticized Louis van Gaal by saying he has a “huge ego” and that the current Manchester United manager wanted to “Van Gaal-ize” the Bundesliga giants.

Van Gaal took control of the German club in July 2009 and subsequently led Bayern Munich to a league and cup double during his first year in charge, only missing out on the treble by losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Madrid.

The Dutchman was dismissed towards the end of his second season in charge of the Bundesliga club with Bayern sitting in fourth place on the league table and having been knocked out of the DFB-Pokal.

Speaking about Van Gaal’s brief tenure at Bayern, Rummenigge told Der Spiegel: “As soon as he presented his autobiography in a snobby restaurant, I knew hard times were ahead. Louis van Gaal was not always easy-care. He wanted to ‘Van Gaal-ize’ our club — ‘Van Gaal-ize’, that’s what we’ve called it up until today. He has a huge ego.”

The Bayern Munich CEO did pay tribute to Van Gaal by calling him a “good and successful coach”, but claimed that current manager Pep Guardiola is a much better fit for the club.

His criticism of Van Gaal are in contrast to statements made by the Bayern Munich chairman just a few days ago.

Earlier this month in an interview with the British newspaper The Times, Rummenigge confirmed that Van Gaal was the right man to lead Manchester United forward following their disappointing eighth-place Premier League finish last season. The German club’s chairman also credited the Dutchman with overhauling Bayern Munich philosophy, a legacy that he claimed is still being felt today at the Allianz Arena.

“If you see our ball possession today, I would say the first steps were the benefits from Van Gaal,” Rummenigge told The Times.

“We hired him to bring a new philosophy and I believe – I still believe – that from the technical point of view, he’s a very good coach.”

“He changed the system here and I’m convinced he will do it as well at Manchester United.”

The outspoken Rummenigge has seen his comments continue to make the rounds over the past few months.

Just a few weeks ago, the Bayern chairman risked opening a row with Borussia Dortmund by re-affirming his club’s interest in midfielder Marco Reus. He had previously angered Dortmund in August by announcing German international had a £20 million release clause that comes into effect this year.

Tension has been increasing between officials at the two Bundesliga clubs as the perception grows that Bayern are trying to weaken their rivals by signing away Dortmund’s best players. Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski have already exchanged Signal Iduna Park for the Allianz Arena over the past few seasons.

During an interview with the Dutch television channel Sport1 in October, Rummenigge stated that Bayern had discussed the possibility of making a move for Reus.

In the following days, the Bayern chairman revealed the German champions admiration for the 25-year-old midfielder. Rummenigge told Sport BILD: “We know in Munich that he [Reus] as a lot of quality. And we know his [release] clause. For us, a young German national player of such quality is interesting.”

“But I do not want to make unrest in Dortmund.”

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