Van Gaal: Pep wants ‘a sniff of England’ but United is my job

Louis van Gaal: Nothing bizarre about his comments

Louis van Gaal: Nothing bizarre about his comments

Louis van Gaal has played down reports Pep Guardiola could take his job at Manchester United, and insists he remains focused on achieving his goals at Old Trafford.

Guardiola has been linked with a number of Premier League jobs since his announcement last month that he would quit Bayern Munich at the end of the season and wanted to test himself in England.

But Van Gaal has played down claims he’ll replace him in the Old Trafford hotseat.

“It’s not for sure he will be the manager of a Premier League club next season,” the under-fire United boss said.

“I’m at the end of my career, so for me it’s not so interesting. For me it’s interesting how I take care of Manchester United, and after this season I still have one year to go.”

“I said that [what my goals are] when I came here. I still have the same goals. I have received a contract of three years and these are same goals as when I came here.

“I said that two years ago [that Guardiola would come to England]. It’s not so strange, you have to set always your goals, as a manager also.

“Some people might look at that a little bit strangely, but managers have ambitions to and he wants to sniff the culture of England.

“I wanted that also and I think that it’s very good he wants to do that, and I don’t think it will have an impact on his club. Every manager has that right to announce that [his intention to leave at a certain point].”

Van Gaal on United form

It was the availability of another successful manager, Jose Mourinho, that prompted speculation Van Gaal would be sacked during a barren run of eight matches without a win.

Van Gaal arrested that slump with victory over Swansea last weekend, but the Dutchman does not believe that necessarily means his team have turned a corner.

“I’m not agreed with your analysis,” Van Gaal said when it was put to him that the quality of United’s displays had improved recently.

“We are playing always attacking football, only we have scored (against Swansea), that’s the big difference. That it shall give me confidence we have still to see because one swallow doesn’t make a summer. I hope so.

“I see that also in the training sessions but you have to show it also at a certain time for 90 minutes and that’s why football is so amazing because you never know.”