Van Gaal eyes Euro swansong

When you reach the final, it is a fantastic but in the media it is nothing.

“Reaching the final is also an aim”. He’s a very gentle man but also very modest.

Jones says United are not getting ahead of themselves – they have played only seven matches, after all – but the belief is there that the club can maintain a serious title challenge this term. “You have to rotate and that is what I am doing now because I have to protect my players”.

Away from the top-flight, teenager Karlan Ahearne-Grant came off the bench to score his maiden league goal for Charlton, while Norwich loanee Josh Murphy found the net for MK Dons in defeat to Derby.

“It’s different because you have no winter break and a lot of matches”. I’m really happy for him. “That is what I do now because I have to protect my players”.

“First of all the people in the club are friendly”.

“I will try to guide them, of course”, the German said.

“I am very comfortable here. You never know so I can not answer that question”, Van Gaal said. “But we need still time to improve because we have to improve”. “But we’re still in a good position in both the Bundesliga and the Champions League so there are plenty of chances to put things right“.

Only reigning Premier League champions Chelsea picked up three points courtesy of a 4-0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Stamford Bridge.

“I hope so. That is realistic”.

“I’m looking forward to the match“.

The German, who has already won the competition with Bayern Munich, believes that, like many teams before them, Wolfsburg could be intimidated by playing at Old Trafford.

On Rooney: “Maybe sometimes I don’t understand him when he speaks in a Scouse accent”. (We’ll have our starting XI prediction up shortly at this link).

In other matches Shakhtar Donetsk host Paris Saint-Germain, Malmo are at home to Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven travel to CSKA Moscow, Galatasaray are away to Astana, Atletico Madrid meet Benfica while Juventus entertain Sevilla.

On the same note, Schweinsteiger added, “We have to take it step by step”. Ashley Young played a bit of wing-back last season, and although he has moved back into his more familiar role on the attack, could be an emergency replacement if needed. We made a few changes to the squad over the summer, signing good players like Max Kruse for example.

Van Gaal may see Champions League success as his crowning glory and spoke today of how it was “realistic” to think United could lift the European Cup within the next two years.

“They have minor injuries, we don’t want to take risks”.