Van Gaal Sets Sights On Liverpool

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admits his primary focus is on beating Liverpool this Sunday and not looking further up the table at Chelsea and Manchester City.

The Reds moved into third spot with a win at Southampton on Monday but the boss is keen to concentrate on United's form rather than hope for other teams to drop points over the busy festive period.

"I dream for Manchester City’s place or Chelsea's place," he told MUTV. "Now we have to live match for match and that is the most important thing. We have to beat Liverpool which is more important than thinking about City or Chelsea."

The rivalry with Liverpool always places additional importance on this fixture, and van Gaal is well aware of its status. "Of course I am aware of the rivalry," he said. "Even on the tour of the United States, all my staff were saying that to me. We have a cook whose name is Mike and when I don't know about anything to do with United and rival clubs, he shall say it! He's a big United fan and I hear immediately from him."

When asked if he was surprised by the Merseysiders' recent poor form, he replied: "What is a surprise in England? Anything can happen. Every match in the Premier League is a difficult match. I still think Liverpool can fight for the top four places and still I have belief in that team because they have fantastic players but they also have a lot of injuries which is not so easy to manage."