Van Gaal: Vardy a ‘very nasty’ opponent for United
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal remains wary of Jamie Vardy and refused to answer questions over whether the Leicester record-chaser is a transfer target.
Vardy has scored 10 goals in consecutive games this season and needs another in the first-versus-second clash against United at the King Power Stadium on Saturday to set a new Premier League record.
To do that, the Leicester forward must breech the tightest defence in the league, though Vardy has already proved to be a thorn in Van Gaal’s side.
The former non-league forward netted, earned a penalty and provoked a red card in the Foxes’ stunning 5-3 triumph against United last season and Van Gaal has not forgotten.
The United boss said: “He was already last season a very nasty player for us.
“I remember Vardy in that game, so I don’t want to remember that game especially, because of the result but also the way we lost wasn’t good.
“Vardy scored, won a penalty, and now he is scoring 10 games in a row.
“I only know Dennis Bergkamp, as a player with me, who did the same with Ajax. It’s not so easy to do that.
“That game [against Leicester], I said also in the press conference after, we lost because the referee gave a penalty, against Rafael, I remember that very well.
“In my opinion, he [the ref] changed the match, but of course it was still 3-2 then, so you cannot blame the ref you have to blame yourself, but it was the return of Leicester in that game.”
When asked whether he would consider signing Vardy, Van Gaal gave a terse reply, saying: “That is not your business, I think.”
With tomorrow’s opponents sitting at the top of the table, Van Gaal believes Leicester are serious Premier League title contenders.
“It is possible, I think,” the United manager said when asked if Claudio Ranieri’s team could win the league.
Van Gaal added: “Normally these kind of clubs can be a long time competing, but normally at the end it’s more difficult.
“But in England because of the quality of the teams, because every team has the money to buy players – and they have bought players – the difference in the Premier League between the clubs in level is not so high.”