Ronald Koeman believes Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's ruthless management style will not work in the long run

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has reignited his feud with compatriot Louis van Gaal, claiming that the Manchester United manager instils fear in his players as part of his management technique.

Koeman and Van Gaal were colleagues during the latter's time as Barcelona manager, but the manager and his assistant had a major falling out which resulted in the pair not being on talking terms, until they found themselves on opposite dugouts in the Premier League.

This is not the first time that the Saints boss is targeting the United manager, as even earlier in the season, he had claimed that his rival had not done a good enough job until now at Old Trafford. He insisted that the Manchester based club ought to be challenging for titles after spending over £150m in the summer.

This time around the former Feyenoord boss has accused Van Gaal of ruling with an iron fist by instilling fear into his players, which he believes will be counter-productive for the club in the long run.

The 20-time English champions are battling for a place in the top four along with Koeman's Southampton, and despite their recent loss to Swansea City, the United boss is confident his players can handle the pressure of a top-four race against their rivals.

"When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality. But you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything. And that will cause clashes," Koeman said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"There is a big difference between him and and me as managers. I was his assistant at Barcelona after the World Cup in 1998. I learned a lot of things from him."

"But the way he handles his players is totally different from the way I work. I don't put as much pressure on the shoulder of players," the Saints boss explained.

"When you have Van Gaal in charge, it is a fact that there is fear in his team. The players have a fear for Mister Van Gaal. That is not always good."