Old Trafford Lounge

Is it too simple for Man Utd to just play 4-4-2 with Mata and Di Maria on the wings? Playing the same basic shape as Man City.

Carrick and Fellaini may be passable in CM in that shape?

Is it too simple for Man Utd to just play 4-4-2 with Mata and Di Maria on the wings? Playing the same basic shape as Man City.

Carrick and Fellaini may be passable in CM in that shape?

Those 5 games of Cleverley's before Kevin Davies broke him...

Fans need to believe in our philosophy. We are building a team that you cannot make one month and not in one year. It's very disappointing but I hope they shall maintain their confidence in the club and in our philosophy because that philosophy takes time.

When you see the goals against us, I believe there were big errors of our own situations. We cannot make these errors. It is very difficult to come back from 2-0. In the second half we created chances but didn't have luck to score – but we created a lot of chances. Out of another error it is 3-0 and then 4-0. We made a lot of risks in our play and change the system to be more of a one-versus-one.

I have no regrets. We have to analyse the problem and you have to change your methods. We have done that and I think our methods were good but also it was risky to play one against one, therefore Milton Keynes could score.

When he actually looked like a potential solution to our midfield problems!!

Was it a broken ankle? I can't remember.

Think so.

We'd have won tonight if not for that.

#blamekevin

He's also the reason Anderson's fat.

I couldn't believe Anderson got a start tonight, although he looked thinner.

Van Gaal on 4-0 loss to MK Dons: "We didn't have the luck to score but at least we have created a lot of chances"

— RobHarris (@RobHarris) Permalink

The aul Moyesy excuse

Yeah he looked thin when I saw his ice bucket challenge.

I think he's normally like this though, thin at the start of the season, get injured after 3 games, get fat whilst you recover all season and repeat.

Louis van Gaal expects there will be activity in the transfer market before the deadline on Monday night.

The Manchester United manager believes incoming and outgoing moves could be in the pipeline, although he was keen to stress that there are no guarantees. With speculation suggesting that club record arrival Angel Di Maria will not be the last new face into the club this summer, van Gaal was keen to point out there could also be players departing.

"I cannot say anything about that [the market] because it will raise the price," he stated. "The club shall come, like now with Di Maria, when the time is right to announce it. We cannot react to every rumour.

"Also, players shall go in the meantime. I had a conversation with the players after lunch and I said, after this weekend, we shall maybe have another group. Players will go away and others will come in. We have to wait and see."

Van Gaal admitted any more incoming moves would rely on clubs willing to do business during the final few days of the transfer window but his targets are keen to head to Manchester.

"Now, I have also judged all of the players," he explained. "After [doing] that, I can take my measures and, of course, we know already in advance what players we want. Sometimes you can have them and sometimes not. It is dependable on the club, more the club than the players because the players want to come."

The Manchester United manager believes incoming and outgoing moves could be in the pipeline, although he was keen to stress that there are no guarantees. With speculation suggesting that club record arrival Angel Di Maria will not be the last new face into the club this summer, van Gaal was keen to point out there could also be players departing.

"I cannot say anything about that [the market] because it will raise the price," he stated. "The club shall come, like now with Di Maria, when the time is right to announce it. We cannot react to every rumour.

"Also, players shall go in the meantime. I had a conversation with the players after lunch and I said, after this weekend, we shall maybe have another group. Players will go away and others will come in. We have to wait and see."

Van Gaal admitted any more incoming moves would rely on clubs willing to do business during the final few days of the transfer window but his targets are keen to head to Manchester.

"Now, I have also judged all of the players," he explained. "After [doing] that, I can take my measures and, of course, we know already in advance what players we want. Sometimes you can have them and sometimes not. It is dependable on the club, more the club than the players because the players want to come."

Thought it was pretty cool that our top three number 7s who have been legends (Ronaldo, Beckham, Cantona) have seven letters in their last names. And so is Di Maria, hopefully he can follow in their footsteps.