Man Utd boss Van Gaal agrees to major changes at Carrington after crisis talks

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has been good to his word after crisis talks with his senior players.

The Daily Mail says following a meeting on Monday, Van Gaal agreed to be less rigid in his management style, letting the players have more say in how things are run at the club's Carrington training base and in the build-up to games.

The new system came into effect on Wednesday and had an immediate impact with the squad allowed to set their own training schedule for Christmas Day.

Instead of coming into Carrington between 1pm and 5pm to prepare for the Stoke game as planned, United's players trained in the morning and spent the rest of the day with their families before reporting to the Lowry Hotel the night before the game.

The rule change even extends to the canteen with players no longer forced to adhere to strict meal times and conditions. They are not required to eat together as a group like before, with individual players free to have breakfast and lunch when it suits them.