Young: Van Gaal Has Improved United Players

Ashley Young believes he is flourishing under the tutelage of Louis van Gaal, a manager whose philosophy has helped several Manchester United players to blossom and improve this season.

Bayern Munich winger and Netherlands international Arjen Robben recently claimed his former boss is “a coach who makes individual players better” and Young agrees with that assessment, having excelled during the Dutchman's first season at Old Trafford.

"There are obviously players in the team who have improved,” Young told ManUtd.com and the Press Association. “When the manager asked us to do a job at the start of the season, he was honest and truthful in what he wanted to do.

"We all wanted to impress, especially when he came in during pre-season as a new manager. Everybody wants to do well and we’ve kicked on from there. We’ve now come down to the business end of the season and this is where it is vitally important to pick up points until the end.”

Quizzed on his own form, Young is reluctant to claim he’s at his best but is certainly happy with his recent performances. “I am enjoying things," he says. "I am playing week in and week out. We have got competition for places, which is always healthy.

"Everybody has got to be on their toes and you see that in training, when the competitiveness is there. If you have got that in training then you take that onto the pitch. I am really enjoying myself, playing well and fingers crossed that will continue.

"As a player you have got to have confidence in your own ability and I have definitely got that. I have gone on a run of games when things have gone really well.

"It helps when you have got team-mates who are pulling in the right direction. Everyone is pulling in the right direction and buying into the manager’s philosophy, and wanting to do exactly what he wants us to do on the pitch.”

Marouane Fellaini is another example of somebody who has impressed under van Gaal, having scored five goals in 22 appearances this term. The Belgian netted in Sunday’s 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur and Young is full of praise for his Reds team-mate.

“He has been very important for us,” the no.18 states. “He has been in the team and when he is in the box, I’m not sure many teams can handle him. You saw against Spurs that he was fantastic at getting in the box and looking like a striker at times.

"I think he likes playing in that position. We just have to utilise his strengths and I think we did that really well on Sunday.”