Louis van Gaal’s handling of dropping Wayne Rooney may have damaged the pair’s relationship

Although Louis van Gaal has stuck by Wayne Rooney throughout his poor form, it's now being reported that the manager has fractured his relationship with the captain by the way he handled his omission at Stoke.

It's common practice for players to be given prior warning of their exclusion from the starting line-up - especially when they occupy a role as important as Rooney's at United. But according to the Daily Mirror, Rooney was only informed that he would be watching kick-off from the bench when he arrived at the ground an hour before. The striker was apparently stunned by the decision as he had no indication that he would be omitted and only days earlier had organised a players' meeting to rally around Van Gaal. If Rooney's relationship with the Dutchman has been damaged, as reported, then it could spell further trouble for Van Gaal at Old Trafford.