Van Gaal Makes Vow Over Strikers

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has stressed he has five options in attack and is comparing the different qualities of all of those at his disposal and not merely judging them on their goal return.

There has been much debate about Wayne Rooney returning to his former position up front but Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao, James Wilson and Marouane Fellaini are also vying for places. England coach Roy Hodgson intimated last week that he still views Rooney as a striker but van Gaal is keen to make clear he has a handful of forwards in his squad, each with different attributes.

Van Persie became the first Red to reach double figures for goals this term with his penalty against Burnley with Rooney, whose position continues to be focused upon in the press, next in the list of top scorers with eight. However, the manager is assessing the bigger picture and suggested he feels Fellaini can be treated as an alternative choice in attack.

"I am looking for different kinds of strikers," he stated. "I have five strikers as you know.

"He [Hodgson] has to compare Rooney with other strikers in his line-up and that is another consideration I have to make. I have to choose between Falcao, van Persie and all the other strikers I have, then it is my consideration and that is different. But he answered in the same way as I do now.

"Rooney is maybe the best striker, I have explained that already a lot of times. It is not that anybody isn't a good player in my selection. I have to look at where each player can make the biggest contribution. It's the composition which is more important than the individual player. I am sorry for that. In the composition for Mr Hodgson, Rooney is probably giving more contribution to the English team in the striker's position, so I would put him there too if I was the England manager."

Van Gaal was also asked if he there may come a point where he considers replacing Falcao with Rooney in attack. "That I have said also with van Persie, it is not only for Falcao but also van Persie," he replied. "You are putting this question in the same way as [you asked about] van Persie, but there are more aspects to a striker.

"You have seen the header back to [Chris] Smalling from Falcao [for the first goal against Burnley in midweek], and that is also an aspect, an assist is also an aspect. [Being] available for your fellow players is also an aspect so I shall not judge only the goals. It is a bigger view on that."