Manchester United booked an FA Cup semi-final against Everton as Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellaini secured a 2-1 win over West Ham.
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Admitting consistency was a key factor for claiming title, Van Gaal insisted that repeated injuries of his players had restricted his side to turn into a consistent team.
That situation didn’t sit well with the rest of the United squad and they made that clear to Van Gaal.
“I’m very happy that in spite of that defeat, 3-0, we can have the spirit this evening again like we have showed after the defeat against Liverpool”.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah has impressed since getting his shot in the first team as has Marcus Rashford, whose fine strike at West Ham improved his record to six goals in 11 matches. We have a couple of good games and then a bad one sets us back. “You can ask that every time, but I don’t discuss it”.
“He’s very focused on his work and that I admire, when you are so young and there is so much attention”, Van Gaal said of Rashford who he took off at halftime against Tottenham. So I know what can happen.
We’ll go down there and look forward to it but getting to Wembley is not the end.West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was thinking of the importance of the match as their final FA Cup match at historic home ground prior to their relocation to the Olympic Stadium.
“I think, next season, he is prepared”, van Gaal told MUTV.
On the youngsters, van Gaal said: “Manchester United believes in youngsters, as do I”.
If both clubs finish outside the top four and win the Champions League and Europa League respectively, they would qualify for next season’s Champions League at the expense of the fourth placed Premier League side.
He believes that Van Gaal is mismanaging Rashford and has been overplaying him.
Schweinsteiger, an eight-time Bundesliga victor with Bayern Munich, has made 31 appearances in total for United, his last coming in the 1-0 derby win at Manchester City on 20 March. I say he always needs to dribble and shoot, he has that quality.
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‘I read only about my position in the media, not the position of other managers, and I don’t agree with that, ‘ said the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager.
