Despite admitting he is forced into a position where he can not play David De Gea in the Premier League opener tomorrow, Louis van Gaal has hit out at Real Madrid and bullishly reiterated Manchester United’s stand that they will not sell their goalkeeper for less than he is worth.
Van Gaal – possibly frustrated by feeling he was forced into over-paying for Angel Di Maria last year – says that the Spanish club must meet the Reds’ valuation if they expect to sign the goalkeeper this month.
‘Manchester United always have to pay,’ Van Gaal told journalists. ‘We have to pay for all the players a certain amount, and what have Real Madrid offered? We are asking money and they have to pay the money. In the last few years Manchester United has paid a lot of money and we never received a lot of money for our players.’
‘He is the best goalkeeper we have had the last three years and in two years he was nominated by the fans as the best player at the club. Do you think the trainer-coach wants him to leave? I don’t think so.’
Some supporters have grown frustrated by United’s stand on this matter as it has appeared to be poor planning if they are forced to sell the goalkeeper. Van Gaal concedes that it hasn’t been perfect preparation. ‘We have seen in our training sessions and matches he is not the David de Gea of last year,’ he said. ‘He tries, he does his upmost best, but it is a difficult situation. He cannot manage this situation. A human being is more than just a player and he cannot manage. So he will not play and you will have to wait to see who does. We have to play our first match, and this is the most important match, so I want players who can focus only on the match. He is not capable of doing that.’