Football!! Van Gaal: We can’t allow Leicester to be champions at Old Trafford

Louis van Gaal does not believe Manchester United will spoil Leicester City’s championship party – but he is out to postpone it on Sunday.

Leicester will win the Premier League title and complete one of the most remarkable stories in English football history if they beat United at Old Trafford.

But with United needing to win to keep their hopes of Champions League qualification alive, Van Gaal hopes his players force Leicester to wait a little longer for their coronation.

“They shall be the champions a week later so we don’t spoil the party, only postpone it a bit,” the United manager said.

“I think we have to beat them because we are still in the fight for the first [four] positions so we have to beat them. We cannot allow them to be the champions at Old Trafford this weekend. I was the first to say that they could be the champion. For me, it’s not a surprise, I have seen it many times. I believe in team building and this manager [Claudio Ranieri] has done it with this team [Leicester].

“They have had the chance to play always with the same team , they don’t play as many matches as other teams, so they had the chance. It’s good for the Premier League and also for the sport of football that the same team is not always the champion.”

Victory would not only secure the title for Leicester but move them 20 points above United, but while that may be a strange experience for the more experienced and successful members of Van Gaal’s squad, such as Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, the manager defended his team’s predicament by insisting they were still in transition.

“The players that are playing now are not used to being the champion,” Van Gaal said.

“I don’t think [Matteo] Darmian is used to being champion and De Gea was never champion [De Gea did in fact win the Premier League title with United in 2012/13].

“Memphis Depay was champion last year [with PSV Eindhoven in Holland].

Rooney, Carrick they have been champions once and maybe more. You have always to see the situation where the club is. We have seen we are in a transition process.”

“When I was mentioned as the coach it was also discussed. When I took them on we had five or six players about 32, 33 or older. There were not too many young players in this selection. So it’s a process of transition.”

“Now we are fighting for qualification of the Champions League and are still in the FA Cup so we have to fight for something and we have to do it.”