Louis Van Gaal out? Manchester United lose again

Louis van Gaal has claimed it is not his fault that Manchester United are wilting under the pressure of their winless run.

“If you say I have failed you can say that but I don’t think like that”.

“He’s [Van Gaal] a manager of a lot of experience and of course you have to make these calls but it certainly went against him today and I felt that was probably the wrong move, for Van Gaal’s point of view”.

He said: “Certainly in the first half I thought we were excellent, it would have taken a very good team to stay with us”.

Van Gaal later explained Rooney’s omission to the BBC.

“I am the one who wants to speak first with the board of Manchester United, with my members of staff, with my players and not always you (the media)”.

“Then we have spoken with each other [at half-time] and I have to say the second half was much better, but still we have created one or two chances and then you have to score, and then maybe the belief is coming back”.

The hosts broke through on 19 minutes when Glen Johnson pounced upon Memphis Depay’s poor defensive header to set up Bojan to stroke home from close range.

Louis van Gaal echoed a similar message during his own post-match interview with MUTV, although he admitted he is concerned about the short gap between the Stoke and Chelsea fixtures.

United have lost their last three in all competitions and are without a win since beating Watford 2-1 in the Premier League on 21 November, a run stretching to six matches.

Former United forward Hughes, who won 11 major honours during his two spells with the club, said: “I don’t know what it’s like there now”. Stoke’s fourth home win in five games was never in doubt against a disjointed United, who have slipped down to sixth in the table as a vulnerable van Gaal faces more questions about his job.

“We didn’t play our football because of the pressure and we would not cope with the circumstances either as a group or individual players”.

But speaking to the media after the Boxing Day loss at Stoke, Van Gaal said: “I feel the support of everybody in the club”.

His position will be under further scrutiny if he oversees another defeat against the Potters, with fans already beginning to turn against the Dutchman.

“When playing in the Premier League, you have to be on top of your game every time”.