Asked about fans losing faith in him, Van Gaal said he understood their discontent but urged them to stick with him and his players.
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The Dutchman has dismissed such talk, stressing his belief the squad are behind him, as well as the club’s hierarchy.
Despite spending over £250 milllion to sign players over last season and this, Van Gaal led the team to be knocked out of the Champions League and they were recently thumped by newly promoted side Bournemouth in the Premier League.
Goals have been in short supply for United and Van Gaal said: “The only answer is to win this game”.
“But of course you see players are coming back more fresh because they haven’t played such a heavy game”. It is a little bit insane. The one thing I have found in the Premier League is that the margin between success and failure is paper-thin.
“The third ingredient you need is patience, because you don’t get results straight away”. There is not any doubt.
“We have to win, because, if you lose, also for me, it’s the end of the world”.
The Director of Football at AFC Ajax, Marc Overmars, has played under Louis van Gaal at both Ajax and Barcelona and has recently come out to support the Dutch manager, calling his critics “crazy”.
“I can not judge what is happening at Chelsea but I was surprised”.
Like Mourinho, van Gaal boasts an impressive managerial record.
“But I said last week is that the main thing is results and the second thing is the chemistry between the players and the manager and his staff. Jose also knows that, but it’s this world”. Jose also knows that, but it’s this world. “This is the world”.
“But that’s a question for the fans, not for the manager”.
But United could have Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling and Ander Herrera back in action on Saturday after periods on the sidelines. We have to win, we know that, the players know that, I know that.
The return of captain Wayne Rooney following a three-match absence with an ankle injury will increase their attacking options with Van Gaal hoping the England striker is back to his best.
“It’s odd with Van Gaal, with his credentials and what he’s done in the past”.
“He is showing his qualities, but at a lower level”.
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“He has had hard times before in his career, but always comes through”.
