Mark Hughes: Maybe some Manchester United players don’t have right mentality

Memphis Depay’s diving backward header allowed Bojan Krkic to put Stoke in front and Marko Arnautovic powered in a second goal from outside the penalty area.

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has urged his players to raise their game during the hectic festive period to help salvage their season.

The away side had a few chances but it was Stoke who raced into an early 2-0 lead to pile the pressure on Van Gaal.

“We are fighting for the manager and trying to get results to turn this around”, Rooney told Sky Sports on Thursday.

He added: “Sometimes I do that by myself, but I am the one who wants to speak first with the board of Manchester United and my members of staff and my players, not with you”.

However, the Manchester United manager remains unhappy with what he sees as the rumour mongering by the press – a topic he addressed at the end of what was a tense post-match interview.

The biggest indictment of the malaise afflicting England’s biggest club was Van Gaal’s belief that his expensively-assembled team ‘did not dare to play football in the first half’.

“No”, he said. “Because for me it’s much more important that people are saying that to me”.

“It was a tough game…it’s hard to take”, said United midfielder Michael Carrick.

In other games, Leicester City were given a Premier League reality check when the unlikely leaders lost 1-0 at Liverpool on Saturday.

“We regularly have meetings with the players”.

Things have not been pleasant for Van Gaal and it’s now going from bad to worse for the Dutchman with his team trailing on the road and heading for a fourth successive defeat. “That was my message and not that I am hurt, because I am used to that”, he said.

“I think the timing was wrong, he’s had so many opportunities to leave Wazza out and in his most hard time as United manager to leave your captain out I think was a big call. We have to battle to get three points and hopefully that’ll be the start for a happy 2016 for us”.

“First half I thought we were excellent, always looked a threat and whenever we regained possession we were on the front foot looking to be positive, getting in behind their back four and causing them untold problems. But we have to win first against Stoke City, that is the main focus”, he said. But that was not the reason we lost the game today, it was because of the pressure that the players felt.