Louis van Gaal has hit out at the ‘awful and terrible’ reports that he had offered to resign as Manchester United manager after the 1-0 defeat to Southampton last weekend.
Those reports suggested that the Dutchman had decided to quit the Old Trafford job after being booed off at full-time on Saturday, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had talked him out of the decision.
And the Dutchman rubbished those rumours at his pre-match press conference ahead of United’s fourth-round FA Cup tie against Derby County, saying:
I don’t think that I have ever mentioned it. I think you make your own stories and then I have to answer about your stories, and I am not doing that because it is awful and horrible that you can write that and then I have to answer the questions of your story.
It is now the third time already that I have been sacked, and I am still sitting here for you, but only because I am obliged to do it.
Now I cannot lose anymore because I will be condemned for the fourth time, but maybe that is the truth because sometimes that happens.
Van Gaal also went on to thank the board for their support during this bad run of form but added that there was also increased pressure to deliver with board backing him staunchly:
It’s fantastic of course, but also that gives you a lot of pressure, because when the board has such confidence in you, then the pressure is much higher than when they say it’s your last game or something like that.
When your confidence is not so high, you can fight against it, but I always fight. I am always fighting.
When you fight, you have a bigger motivation than when they support you.
He also gave his thoughts on that tie against the Rams tomorrow night:
This is the FA Cup. Like every club in England, it is very popular and everybody has the ambition, so it is important as it’s another title and we have to give everything for that.
Tomorrow’s encounter will be the 104th meeting between the two sides and United have only lost once to Derby in the Premier League era, with that being a 1-0 defeat in a League Cup tie in the 2008/09 season.
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