The midfielder has been a regular with the U21 side, and played an important role in helping the reserves retain their U21 Premier League title.
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Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat nearly achieved the feat in 2004 as captain of Millwall but was forced to miss the final against Manchester United due to a knee ligament injury.
Louis van Gaal says his Manchester United players have their eyes quite literally on Wembley Stadium in a bid to mentally prepare the squad for Saturday’s FA Cup final.
While reaching the final has turned Palace’s season around, simply reaching the Cup final isn’t enough for a club of Manchester United’s stature.
“It was good, because Van Gaal was watching on the bench”. It could either lead to stability or, given the massive egos at play, backfire spectacularly as the Dutchman and his protégé clash.
Van Gaal can also utilise Marouane Fellaini after the Belgian saw out the final game in his suspension during the week.
Manchester United have now reportedly found a way to bring in Jose Mourinho, but at the same time honour their three-year contract with current manager Louis van Gaal. The FA Cup has saved Palace’s season after the team unraveled in the second half of its league campaign to finish five points clear of the relegation zone.
United will face Crystal Palace at Wembley looking for their first major trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson departed at the end of the 2012/13 season.
“I think sometimes you have to make choices in your career and at the minute it is probably better for me to play deeper”, he said.
“Too high. We are a team in transition”, Van Gaal said.
United are one of the most successful teams in the competition’s history, having lifted the trophy on 11 occasions, but their latest triumph was 12 years ago.
“I’m sure it’ll be a tough game but I think the fans deserve it (a win)”.
“You see how happy we were and how we celebrated with the fans after the goal from Anthony (Martial) against Everton in the semi-final”, he told the club’s official website.
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Costa has revealed he is now waiting for what could be a life-changing call from the Red Devils, adding: “Of course I’ve been anxious, it’s normal”.
