Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says that despite spending over £200m since being appointment, the first team still doesn’t resemble what his final vision. Van Gaal was surprisingly frank in a press interview and confessed that he is still looking for a ‘marquee’ player in the final third.
‘No, it’s not my Manchester United. Why? Because we have to look for more balance in the team and for more creativity,’ van Gaal says. ‘Chelsea have Hazard. He can always make goals, he can always make an action and decide a goal. Manchester City have Aguero, it’s the same type. Barcelona has Messi, Neymar and Suarez. We as Manchester United have to compete with these clubs. So we have to look also for that kind of players. We can use much more creativity. We look for more creativity. You need creative players. For example, Chelsea have Hazard, Willian and Oscar. There is a lot of creativity there. And you need that because you have to disorganise the bus. Next year there might be more teams who are parking the bus.’
Van Gaal is clearly talking about the kind player he had hoped he had signed in Angel Di Maria, but with the player’s move to PSG set to be announced, there is an absence of that quality in the attacking area. The manager said that he hoped that Di Maria will stay.
‘We have now more balance than last year. The positions are occupied double. But I think we need more speed in front and also more creativtity. That’s why I hope Di Maria will stay. But we don’t know that so we will wait and see.
‘Now we have Wayne, Mata, Depay, Young, Januzaj, Wilson, Herrera.’ Van Gaal continues. ‘So you can expect from Young, not that he is a Hazard. You have to compare. Young has had a fantastic season but he is not a Neymar and we have to compete with that kind of class.’
Van Gaal was put on the spot and asked directly about Cristiano Ronaldo.
‘It is not possible,’ said the Reds manager. ‘Yeah, of course (I would like him). But that’s not possible. Why not? Because you have the club (Real Madrid), Ronaldo and then you have Manchester United and how much Manchester United want to spend.’
However, the United manager confirmed that the club will be trying for a player of that stature to bolster his attacking options.
‘Of course. Because when it is possible to buy for a reasonable price players from that level we shall do that,’ he said. ‘With Schneiderlin, with Schweinsteiger, with Depay, with Darmian we are better than last year. But we have to be much better and then I say to you that is the creativity of my players in the front.’