Van Gaal ‘agrees’ that United shouldn’t back him

Matt Stead

Louis van Gaal says that he “agrees” with Manchester United’s decision not to publicly back him.

United manager Van Gaal has come in for intense scrutiny at Old Trafford this season, and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been constantly linked with his job.

The club are fifth, six points behind Manchester City in the race for Champions League qualification, and Van Gaal admits their hopes to reach Europe’s elite competition hang in the balance.

“We have to win a lot of matches in a row. That is dependable on the competitors because at the end of the competition the pressure is rising for everybody. You have to be able to cope with that pressure and Manchester United is more or less used to that pressure.”

On the mood at the club, the Dutchman added: “We are doing great in that perspective I think. We had lost four matches in a row in December and you see us now. You can only say that we are mentally very strong and that we can cope with the pressure. That is not enough as we have to improve our results and consistency to win a lot of matches in a row. We have to minimise the gap to our competitors.”

Van Gaal was accused of engaging in a ‘bizarre rant‘ after criticising reports that his position was under questioning. Many had pointed out that United have never publicly denied reports of approaching Mourinho, and when quizzed on the matter again, Van Gaal replied: “I agree with this policy of the club.”