Van Gaal hopes Jones gets game time

Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes is wanted by La Liga sides Sevilla and Valencia. United failed to score a single goal in the Premier League from outside the box in September, suggesting something of reluctance to try their luck from distance. Van Gaal eschewed that advice and saw the occasional ponderousness of his team in possession savagely exposed by Arsenal’s pressing.

Valdes was told by manager Louis van Gaal that he has no future at the club after he failed to play for the under-21s last season.

Arsenal centre back Per Mertesacker has challenged his team-mates to continue to produce performances like their impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United.

Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is coming to terms with the fact he does not play in every game under Louis van Gaal. Their opponents managed just a 0.7 successful conversion rate, so perhaps it’s indicative of United’s game-plan that when they conjure the opportunity to strike, they often take the chance.

“He doesn’t dominate. I like dominating football”. As though United had been undermined by a chaotic transfer strategy and by Van Gaal’s insistence on a particularly sterile form of possession football?

“If you look down the years, the teams that have won the league have generally counter-attacked with pace”, he said on the sidelines of the Castlewood Group Battle of the Reds press conference at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel yesterday.

“That’s a unusual situation, but the results I think are second. I am always a very social human being”.

“He’s always got the same good humour and the same desire to work”.

“The most important part are the fans, that people are going home happy”. Given that they performed well for the youth team and that Louis van Gaal believes in their abilities, it is definitely true that all of them have the potential.

Manchester United will be feeling pretty low after that result against Arsenal.

A win at Goodison will put United in a good place ahead of their City showdown and will be hoping to scalp their local rivals to set themselves up for the hectic festive schedule.