I thought Van Gaal was an idiot!,says Barcelona icon Xavi

The midfielder admits that it took a while for him to be convinced by the quality of the Manchester United coach and expressed sympathy for his old team-mate Victor Valdes

Barcelona icon Xavi has revealed that he thought Louis van Gaal was an "idiot" when he first took over at Barcelona.

The Dutch coach guided Barca to two league titles, a Copa del Rey and the Uefa Super Cup during his first spell at the Catalan side.

But while the midfielder admits he had initial reservations over his coaching methods, he is full of praise for the current Manchester United boss.

"After two days of training under him, I thought, 'Who is this idiot?'" he told ESPN.

"After one week, though, I thought, 'He's right.' He'll always be in my heart, Louis van Gaal.

"He is a good person, a very good trainer. He has a very strong character, but he's calm in the Premier League because there's less pressure. He's much calmer than when he was at Barca or Bayern Munich.

"He's honest, methodical and a real perfectionist. He's very demanding, he's strict and he wants to achieve the highest levels possible."

Xavi's former Barcelona and Spain team-mate Victor Valdes is currently going through a hard time under Van Gaal, having been dropped from the United squad and criticised by the coach.

Valdes has been told he could be fined if he attends the club's training ground before the first team has left and Xavi hopes his friend can find a way out of the situation.

"[Van Gaal and Valdes] are two strong characters, but it's a difficult situation for Victor.

"Let's hope he finds a solution soon. I'm sad for him. He's a great professional, a good person. He's training, he's working hard. He'll return to football. It's better for Victor to be playing football."

The 35-year-old, currently playing for Al Sadd, says he has been surprised by the playing style that Jose Mourinho has adopted throughout his coaching career as it is very different to the one he adhered to during his time as Van Gaal's assistant at Barcelona.

"He was the assistant coach, someone who understood the philosophy of Barca and who shared many of the same characteristics as Van Gaal. He was very respected by the players," he added.

"He trained us sometimes alone at Barca B and he was excellent. I'm surprised that he became known for another type of football, more defensive, because he wasn't like that with us."