Louis van Gaal is under pressure but Manchester United’s manager has come out swinging.
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In his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round clash at second-tier Derby County on Friday, the 64-year-old again launched a scathing attack against the assembled media.
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The ex-Ajax, Barcelona, Netherlands and Bayern Munich boss is famed for his confrontational nature towards the press and he has already stormed out of a press conference while demanding an apology in December amid claims his job was on the line.
With United winning just two of their last 10 Premier League games, exiting the UEFA Champions League at the group stage and their strikers continuing to misfire, reports following the home defeat to Southampton last weekend suggested that LVG had handed in his resignation to United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
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Van Gaal was asked about the reports stating he wanted to quit as United’s boss and the Dutch boss was less than impressed.“I think I don’t have mentioned that ever,” Van Gaal said. “You make your own stories. Then I have to answer. I am not doing that. It is awful and horrible but you can write. It is the third time I am sacked and I am still sitting here. I am obliged to do that (attend press conferences). A lot of people ask in a disrespectful way. I have always faith.
“When you lose it is worse. I predicted before Southampton. Now I cannot lose any more because then for the fourth time I have been sacked. Then it might be the truth.”
Well, at least he didn’t demand an apology this time...
Van Gaal also said support from the board, most namely Woodward, was “fantastic” but also noted that “when the board has lots of confidence in you the pressure is much higher than when it is your last game or something like that. Because then the confidence is not so high and you can fight against them. When you can fight you have a bigger motivation that they support you.”
The pressure continues to mount on LVG as his team sit five-points off the top four but this weekend they get the chance to switch their focus to FA cup play. If they lose at Derby on Friday, who knows what will happen to the tetchy Dutchman.