If Van Gaal stays, that pitch will be to work for a manager who will be gone in 12 months, to be replaced by… well, that is anyone’s guess.
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Van Gaal indicated injuries and Ronald Koeman’s tactics contributed to another mortifying afternoon, yet could not disagree with his thousands of detractors.
Woodward has insisted that Van Gaal will remain at the helm until his contract expires in June 2017, but that in itself is a naïve position to take ahead of a pivotal summer for the club.
United fans watched their team fail to score again as Van Gaal’s men lost 1-0 to Southampton at Old Trafford.
United fans had seen enough by the time two desperate long punts up field went awry and they responded with loud boos and chants of “attack, attack, attack”.
Van Gaal’s claim last week that United were still in the hunt for the title now seems pure fantasy. The United fans have largely backed Van Gaal during matches, but the Dutchman was heckled like never before as he walked down the tunnel following Saturday’s damaging defeat.
‘They have – or they had – great expectations of me, and I can not fulfil them, so I am very frustrated.
“I wanted to win this game and that’s why I changed Borthwick-Jackson for Januzaj”, said Van Gaal, whose side enjoyed a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at Liverpool last week despite a similarly listless display.
“I am disappointed. We have to change this”.
“Nevertheless we have won three times in 2016 and a draw so we have very good results in January but we could not show it in this game”.
The imminent arrival of Victor Valdes at Standard Liege has been met with criticism from one his new team-mates.
“I am not going to sit here and say it is that attractive”, the United director told Radio Five’s Sportsweek programme.
United’s defensive crisis worsened, meanwhile, after Matteo Darmian came off clutching his chest following an aerial collision with Long.
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“We’re fans as well as directors and we don’t want booing, we want cheering”, Gill said.
