The winger, who played under the Dutchman for Netherlands and at Bayern Munich, has no doubt that the Red Devils will soon be “back where they belong” thanks to the 63-year-old
Arjen Robben is “very confident” that Louis van Gaal will guide Manchester United back into the Champions League.
The former Netherlands boss has just one competitive win to his name since taking charge at Old Trafford but heavy investment late in the transfer window has seen the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao arrive.
And Robben, who played under Van Gaal at Bayern Munich and for Oranje, has no doubts that the 63-year-old will bring the best out of his squad, especially the young talent at his disposal.
“I haven’t spoken to him recently but I was very happy for him that he won the game against QPR,” Robben told reporters. “Hopefully now he can show that he will do very well but he needs time.
“I know how it works – if you are not winning, you get the pressure but the management at United know what sort of coach they have got and I am very confident he will be successful there.
“I have worked with Van Gaal at Bayern as well as with Holland so I have known him for a very long time. He is one of the few coaches, I think, who can make teams play better. He makes players better.
“United have some young, talented players and I have no doubts that he will do well at Old Trafford. He will get United back into the Champions League next season, where they belong. They are such a big club and that is where they belong.”
Robben was a late substitute as Bayern beat Manchester City on Tuesday night but is cautious of predicting how well the German giants will fair in the Champions League.
“It’s hard to say. We are only thinking about ourselves and we want to go through, we want to win our games and be top of the group,” he remarked. “That is our target and we will give everything to do that.
“Roma had a big win and it was a surprise. I looked up at the scoreboard after 20 minutes and saw it was already 3-0, so they are flying.
“It will be disappointing and frustrating for City, to lose 1-0 just a minute before the end, but they have a very good team.
“We have done well to get the victory. We could have scored earlier because we had the better opportunities but, overall, it was a good game between two very good teams.”