Van Gaal: We’ll have to wait and see

United go into the match having lost four games in a row in a single season for the first time since 1961 – and are without a win in seven games in all competitions. “We have lost the fourth game (in succession), so you have to wait and see”. “But I feel the support of everybody in the club”.

Asked how long he had left at United Van Gaal said: “That’s the question”. I think there have been so many opportunities probably to leave Wazza [Rooney] out and I just felt that in his most hard spell as the manager of Manchester United, to leave your captain out, was a big call.

“I am not so interested in public announcements”.

“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.

However, he refused to take the blame for his players’ struggles when the heat is on, saying: “Of course I do my utmost to find solutions to cope with the pressure”.

“It is very hard as I’m also part of four losses and I have to cope with that”. But despite all of this uproar, several Manchester United players have come out and insisted that they are still fighting for their manager.

Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer described United’s first-half performance as “pathetic”.

Van Gaal acknowledged that following this defeat, immediately after losses at home to Norwich City and away to Bournemouth, and a Champions League exit away to Wolfsburg, that he is fighting for his future.

“On today’s evidence, the players are not willing”.

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure, right, celebrates scoring against Sunderland with teammate David Silva during the English Premier League soccer match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday Dec. 26, 2015.

“My worry for United is that whoever comes in they’ve got a squad lacking athleticism”, said the former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder.

If LVG is sacked, there are insinuations that former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho will be stepping into his shoes.

Although, the compact Premier League fixture list during the holidays makes the timing hard for the Red Devils to sack their current head coach, nothing in the world of soccer should surprise you. “I’m sure there will be many meetings going on”.

“Everywhere he has gone during his career he has won trophies and if you speak to the majority of Manchester United fans, they just want to get back to the glory days where they are in the hunt for the major trophies”. “That is also something I don’t have to say”.

“We had good opportunities and should have scored more really”.