Louis van Gaal hints time at Manchester United could end after FA Cup run
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has admitted that he is not focusing on his future at Old Trafford beyond the FA Cup final.
The Dutchman saw his side make it to the final of the cup competition after the Red Devils' latest 2-1 victory over Everton at Wembley on Saturday. Marouane Fellaini gave the record 20-time English champions the much-needed lead in the first half.
However, the Merseyside club bounced back in the second half, thanks to Chris Smalling's own goal. The game was supposed to head to the extra time but Anthony Martial had other plans as the France international's late goal in stoppage time saw United beat Roberto Martinez's side to make it to the final.
The FA Cup final will be held on 21 May at Wembley, and by that time, United will complete all their league fixtures. Van Gaal has one year left on his contract at Old Trafford and as the Premier League outfit have struggled under the Dutchman's guidance (barring the FA Cup), his future remains uncertain.
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The United manager admitted that he is not focusing beyond the final at Wembley and it is up to the board to decide whether he will retain his job beyond the 2015-16 campaign.
“I’m not looking beyond this competition, the FA Cup,” Van Gaal explained, as quoted by the Express.
“We live with pressure. For the future I have discussed that with my board and not with you. It’s not for me to judge, it’s for the board of Manchester United.”
Van Gaal also took a swipe at the match official Anthony Taylor for giving decisions in Everton's favour. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager believes United would have won the match comfortably, if not for the referee's poor decision making.
"The referees are deciding the game and not the players anymore," Van Gaal told BBC Sport.
"I think we deserved to go to the final. I think the referee... we didn't have any fouls in our benefit. He changed the match I think."
Despite his criticism towards the match official, Van Gaal was in full praise of Martial, whose goal secured United a place in the FA Cup final. In addition to this, he believes the French forward can do much better in front of the goal.
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“He can do much better because I see still a lot of things he can improve on and he shall improve because only by training and playing can you improve," he said.
“But also when you are playing at a higher level you improve also. When you are older you know all the things shall happen again. Then you have experience and can decide much better in the same situations as before."