Van Gaal may resign after Stoke defeat

Speaking at a press conference after the loss to Stoke, Van Gaal revealed he may actually jump ship himself before the club are able to sack him. Sometimes I do it by myself.

“But I am the one who wants to speak first with the board of Manchester United and with the members of staff and with my players”.

United were in disarray in the first half when Memphis Depay’s horrendous defending allowed Bojan Krkic to score and Marko Arnautovic powered in Stoke’s second goal from outside the penalty area.

In other results, Aston Villa and West Ham United drew 1-1, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth drew 0-0, Chelsea and Watford played to a 2-2 draw, Liverpool dealt league-leading Leicester City a 1-0 loss, Manchester City trounced Sunderland 4-1, Swansea City edged West Bromwich Albion 1-0 and Tottenham Hotspur routed Norwich City 3-0. But a combination of poor finishing and Jack Butland’s saves prevented United from leaving Stoke with anything.

United have strayed disappointingly far from the aggressive, attacking style of play they personified under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson so far this season, and many fans and former players have voiced their belief that the club may do better with someone else at the helm. It can turn around quickly and if we get a good win then the feeling comes back.

United’s miserable run has seen them knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and slip out of the top four in the Premier League.

“It’s very hard because we have to recover, we start after we travel (back from Stoke) and we have to prepare also the game, it’s very tough to do that”, Van Gaal said. “But I think so”.

A day after British astronaut Tim Peake displayed a Stoke flag on the International Space Station, the central England team was in a different orbit to United in the first half.

“We gave a bad goal away in the first instance, but the main reason is that we could not cope with the circumstances”.

That Mourinho has been strongly linked with a move to the Theatre of Dreams adds another intriguing sub-plot to the game and the United players know they must step up. Although the United striker set up United’s only clear-cut chance of the game in the 64th minute with a cross to Fellaini, Rooney’s omission from the starting line-up was long, long overdue. By this point, Van Gaal’s side were already two goals down, with Stoke enjoying nearly 60% of the ball and outshooting United by seven to two. Moreover, Van Gaal’s pre-match claim that the decision was tactical rings true. They put in a pathetic performance in the first half.

Mourinho having seen his side win a premier league and league cup double last season failed to inspire his team this season.

Stoke City prolonged Manchester United’s suffering with a 2-0 win, which left them without a win for seven games.

While Chelsea remains two points above the relegation zone – and 13 points from fourth place – Watford is behind United only on goal difference in seventh place.