Louis Van Gaal has warned Manchester United that they still have to prove themselves as an attacking force in the Barclays Premier League despite their four-goal cruise in Bruges.
The victory on Wednesday that booked United’s place in the Champions League group stage equalled their biggest win under Van Gaal, as Wayne Rooney returned to goalscoring form with a hat-trick.
It followed a return of just two goals in the opening three Premier League games and Van Gaal knows they are unlikely to have as many chances at Swansea tomorrow in his 50th match in charge.
‘We played very well against Bruges in ball possession, much better than matches before, but it was because they had to attack so they gave more space. Swansea have a good team so it be very difficult to beat them.’ Van Gaal will certainly expect United to be more ruthless after Javier Hernandez wasted Rooney’s generosity by slipping and missing a penalty in Belgium.
‘I am not surprised he gave it to him because Rooney is a very social guy,’ said Van Gaal. ‘He is a real captain. But we cannot do it at 0-0, then I’m very angry.
‘At 4-0, it was a great gesture.’
Van Gaal acknowledged that he has had issues to address at the other end of the pitch even though Sergio Romero has only conceded one goal in five games.
The impasse over David de Gea’s situation at Old Trafford — described as an ‘absolute joke’ by former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel yesterday — has seen Romero thrown in at the deep end. The Argentina keeper’s ball distribution has been a concern and he has yet to be fully exposed to the physical nature of English football because of the form of United’s defence. But Van Gaal revealed that Romero has undergone special training sessions to bring him up to speed. – Daily Mail