Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted he was considering substituting Juan Mata before the Spaniard scored the winning goal in their 1-0 triumph against Watford at Old Trafford.
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United have drawn level on points with fourth-placed local rivals Manchester City and have reignited their hopes of securing a Champions League place.
“It became a physical game and, when you see the size of our opponents compared to us, it’s very hard for us”.
Watford’s Valon Behrami, left, and Manchester United’s Memphis Depay battle for the ball during the English Premier League match between Watford and Manchester United at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Wednesday March 2, 2016.
“(The young players) want to prove and they want to show to the world, to the manager, to everybody, that they are the best, so they always give spirit to a team”, Van Gaal said.
“Everybody knows, when you follow my career, that I am against all the super leagues (proposals)”, he said. I’m very proud and very honoured to wear it [the armband].
“I think he’s a very modest guy so I don’t think that will be a problem. But it also means it’s a full programme”.
Despite the huge focus on Rashford following his sudden rise to stardom, Van Gaal said the Manchester-born youngster will not let his new-found success go to his head.
Quique Sanchez Flores’ men have taken four points from their last two outings – their previous game on Saturday saw them play out a goalless draw with Bournemouth. I don’t think that is beneficial for a boy of 18.
“We have to go step by step. And that was good, because he could score the goal”, the Dutchman told the BBC.
“It should be fantastic for Manchester United and the fans, when you win a title, but the (last) FA Cup is many years ago so that would be fantastic also”.
Odion Ighalo came close on a number of occasions in the first half, with Sebastian Prodl threatening from set pieces as Watford continued to impress after the break.
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United have had a troubled season, but are on the up again after three successive victories across three competitions, and looking to revitalise their challenge for a Champions League place.
