David Moyes warns Louis van Gaal he must deliver Champions League football

Both Van Gaal and Rooney claimed United’s hopes of a top four finish in the Premier League are now all-but gone, with the skipper insisting he and his team-mates at at fault and not his under-fire manager.

David Moyes has warned Louis van Gaal that failure to qualify for the Champions League will not be accepted by Manchester United.

Six points separate fifth-placed United from local rivals Manchester City in fourth place, and that gap would have been just three had United managed to defeat relegation-threatened Sunderland on Saturday, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat.

The 64-year-old Dutchman admitted the Sunderland players displayed more aggression, which allowed them to control most of the game.

“Bastian has been unlucky because he picked up an injury at a time that he was playing very well – he was improving”, Van Gaal told the official Manchester United website. You get an very bad lot of media attention. The way with the Europa League is easier, I think, but also not so easy because there also you have a fantastic European level in that cup, so you have to fight for it. The Red Devils succumbed to their seventh defeat of the season against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light as United put in another disappointing performance.

Van Gaal said: “A set-play is always risky because we don’t have a very tall team, so we know that in advance and we organise the best header against the best header”.

“It’s pleasing that the squad showed me it’s good enough and united enough for the big push to try to get out of the trouble we’re in”.

Moyes did express some sympathy for Van Gaal’s plight and criticised the media for its perceived ill-treatment of the ex-Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach.

“You have to win this kind of match, I said that in advance”.

It was only last week that Van Gaal was talking up United’s chances of winning the league title. We didn’t do that today. I have agreed top four is the minimum requirement.