Misfiring Martial must be given time, says manager Van Gaal

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal believes the Champions League clash with Wolfsburg on Tuesday night is the most important since he took charge of the club 18 months ago.

Louis van Gaal has defended his decision to offload SEVEN strikers during his time as Manchester United manager, despite the team’s current scoring woes.

The Red Devils will qualify with a win in Tuesday’s final Group B game, or if PSV Eindhoven lose to CSKA Moscow. I’m convinced he should continue in the team and he will score at the right moment again.

Manchester United need the one thing that’s been hard to come by this season in order to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League – a goal.

United are in fourth place in the Premier League table and three points behind surprise leaders Leicester City but have only scored one goal in their last three games and have been widely criticised for an unadventurous style of play. Take Manchester United to get that much needed win. “As a manager I know we must score but when you ask about the performance as a team, I am satisfied”.

On the face of it, United do not stand a good chance of progressing.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw with West Ham was United’s fifth from their last nine in all competitions and the expensively-assembled forward line at Old Trafford is struggling to be effective. “You have to prove, as a club, as a team and as players, that you can continue”.

Wolfsburg’s 2-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday ended a 29-match unbeaten run at home, where they have won eight of 11 fixtures this season.

“When you are creating chances you shall finish those kind of chances”, said the 64-year-old Dutchman. “But we have to say, also, that he is just 20 years old and we have to give him time”, Van Gaal told Reuters.

“We haven’t seen the best of the Schweinsteiger I saw at Bayern Munich”.

“So we will see, but I think it will be a massive game”.

“We have the destiny in our hands and know what we have to do to get through”, he said.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson came on in place of Darmian for only his second appearance in a senior United shirt, and his first in the Champions League.