Louis van Gaal's former assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg has told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf he had "the complete trust" of his boss with the Netherlands national team and at Manchester United.
Stuivenberg described Van Gaal as someone who had "earned his marks" in football and said the manager had given him "unique" responsibility at Old Trafford.
He said that had included being placed in charge first-team training sessions, giving team talks and working one-to-one with players.
The duo won the FA Cup at United last season before leaving the club in the summer, and Stuivenberg paid tribute to his mentor.