Players' Views Mean Most To Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal insists he does not need to receive praise from the media because he is more interested in the feedback from his Manchester United players.

With a mouthwatering FA Cup quarter-final tie with Arsenal on the horizon, results may be looking rosy but the performances of the team have drawn criticism in some quarters. The boss accepts the Reds have not always been firing on all cylinders, although he is not losing sleep over any negativity.

When asked at his weekly press conference if he feels he is getting enough plaudits, van Gaal replied: "The credit I get is from the players. This is the highest credit I can get because that is also the most important thing - that my players, my staff and myself can work together on the way we work now and that gives the spirit.

"You know as media people that the media is always critical. It is like that. You are part of the game, it's your role, so we have to manage that and I believe we manage that fantastically."