Pressure on Martial upsets United’s Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has backed Anthony Martial to end his goal drought and help the Red Devils avoid an embarrassingly early UEFA Champions League exit.

Schweinsteiger will make his first appearance on German soil with United since his move from Bayern Munich and Van Gaal said they have yet to see the best of Germany’s skipper. We have that belief.

“We want to win, and I think my players want to win too”. United supporters have taken to chanting “attack, attack, attack” in nearly every game and they will need goals today with the team second in Group B on eight points, one behind leaders Wolfsburg with PSV Eindhoven, playing CSKA Moscow, on seven.

He then said: “Of course, for every manager, they would all think of managing Manchester United”. In the Premier League the record is five goals in the last six games.

Nick Powell has been included in the Manchester United squad for tomorrow night’s crucial Champions League game away at Wolfsburg. “But I know he can be better”. But to bow out of the Champions League before the real serious business begins, especially to a team in PSV, who United spent £25 million weakening with the signing of Memphis Depay in the summer, would not be a good look for the world’s third richest club.

“We have the destiny in our hands and know what we have to do to get through”, he said. You need the attitude that you want to score.

United were booed off following their sixth goalless draw of the season on Saturday, but Van Gaal hopes he will not have to rely on CSKA pulling off a shock win over PSV to qualify.

A flurry of late chances against West Ham can’t disguise the problems United are having up front under Van Gaal, who was missing captain Wayne Rooney to compound a self-imposed shortage of strikers. We created many chances and you can only do that when you are attacking; we attacked much more than our opponents, who were defending in their square of 40 metres.

Ferguson has joined the team in Germany and, speaking at a seminar in London before flying out, the club’s former manager talked about the possibility of Klopp re-establishing Liverpool as a team that could possibly overtake United.

He said: “I will continue to wait [to join a club]”.

Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United’s players should be embarrassed by their performances after they crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

But they are struggling to find the back of the net and have attracted criticism for their defensive style under Van Gaal.