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Louis van Gaal orders Antonio Valencia to have English lessons... despite winger having lived in England for EIGHT YEARS
- Manchester United manager wants all his players speaking in English
- Van Gaal has ordered Spanish-speaking players to have lessons
- Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo will be in a beginners' together
- Radamel Falcao, Ander Herrera and David de Gea in a intermediate class
- Valencia moved to England in 2006 will have one-to-one tuition
Published: 17:28 EST, 13 September 2014 | Updated: 18:11 EST, 13 September 2014
Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia has been ordered by manager Louis van Gaal to take English lessons – despite having lived here for eight years.
Van Gaal is determined his current squad, which includes a number of native Spanish-speakers, should all become fluent in English to help communication on the training ground and the pitch.
Newcomers Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo, Radamel Falcao and Ander Herrera have all had twice-weekly lessons arranged for them alongside goalkeeper David de Gea, who is in his fourth season at the club, and Valencia, who first arrived in the Premier League to play for Wigan Athletic in 2006 before signing for United three seasons later.
Antonio Valencia has been told to have English lessons by new Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal
Antonio Valencia first arrived in England eight years ago when he signed for Wigan in 2006
Juan Mata, Anderson, Ander Herrera, David de Gea, Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo all speak Spanish
Louis van Gaal wants his players speaking in English around Manchester United's training complex
Di Maria and Rojo, who arrived this summer for a combined price of £75milion, barely speak a word of English and will take beginners’ classes together.
It is expected that Falcao, who spoke broken English at his formal press conference unveiling on Thursday, and Herrera will be promoted to join de Gea in intermediate classes over the coming weeks. Valencia has asked for one-to-one tuition.
It is ironic that Dutchman Van Gaal is taking a tougher attitude over United players adapting to life in England than either of his British predecessors Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.
Louis van Gaal (right) wants his Spanish speaking players, such as Radamel Falcao, to speak English
Juan Mata's English is judged good enough to not need lessons but Angel di Maria (right) will have lessons
Valencia is by nature a shy person and has never conducted an interview in English despite coming to the country at the age of 20. He has played 282 times for Wigan and United.
Spanish international Juan Mata, who joined Chelsea in the same 2011 summer transfer window as De Gea came to England, has been judged to speak English well enough not to need additional lessons.
The instruction for De Gea to brush up on his language skills is significant. The £18m Spaniard has improved greatly from a shaky start to his career at Old Trafford but communication in the United defence has never been as strong with him in goal as it was during the eras of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar.
Van Gaal’s move is sure to be welcomed by some United fans who are worried that the club are losing their traditional identity after spending £150m on new, predominantly foreign players this summer while letting academy graduates Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley leave.
