Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he is "not interested" in whether striker Radamel Falcao is happy to settle for a substitute's role and insisted the Colombian is not fit enough to last a full match.
Van Gaal ‘not interested’ in Falcao’s view on sub role
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he is "not interested" in whether striker Radamel Falcao is happy to settle for a substitute's role and insisted the Colombian is not fit enough to last a full match.
Van Gaal said Falcao's lack of match fitness means he can only play for 20 minutes or so in the fast pace of the Premier League, and that the demands of the squad mean he has to continue in that role as cover for other strikers rather than work on his fitness.
Falcao is likely to be on the bench again at Southampton on Monday and asked if the striker was happy with that role, Van Gaal replied: "I am not interested in that. He has to follow my philosophy - do you understand that? I am here because of that.
"I have selected him in spite of the fact he can only play for 20 minutes, because the rhythm of the game in the Premier League is the highest.
"It's match fitness [he needs]. It would be a better contribution if he played with the second team but I cannot do that because on Tuesday we had the match against Stoke and Wayne Rooney was injured. I had to adapt to the needs of the selection [squad]."
"He has to follow my philosophy - do you understand that?" - Louis van Gaal
Van Gaal was hugely relieved after a scan last week on a potential knee injury for Rooney showed there was no problem - the striker has become the key player for the Dutch manager after he chose him as his captain following the club's pre-season tour to the USA.
"Very good!" beamed Van Gaal, when asked about Rooney. "He will play."
He added: "We were in the USA when I decided to make him captain and not for one day have I regretted that. For me the most important thing is that he is captain of our team."
Van Gaal said he was impressed at the team spirit that has developed, highlighted by the Christmas party organised last week by Rooney.
"It was fantastic," van Gaal told MUTV. "Usually, I don't use words like this, but I think it showed the cohesion in our group from both the players and staff. My wife and I enjoyed it very much.
"The squad is very important, and that's why the timing of our Christmas party was fantastic - it showed the togetherness in the squad. I think we are in a good position."
The match at St Mary's is being built up as a battle between warring Dutch coaches van Gaal and Koeman, who fell out when they worked together at Ajax in 2004. The pair have refused to discuss their relationship but there have been suggestions that they may have buried the hatchet.
"I don't say good, it's correct - maybe that's the best word" - Ronald Koeman on his relationship with Louis van Gaal
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, at a recent League Managers' Association meetings Van Gaal complimented Koeman on his work, told him: "You have a good team," and clapped him on the shoulder.
Koeman, for his part, wants football, rather than the pair’s strained relationship, to be the focus, though he did backtrack on an initial insistence that things were now "good".
"I don't say good, it's correct - maybe that's the best word," he said. "When he was the national coach and I was the coach of Feyenoord, we had contact about the international players, but there are too many questions about him."
Both sides are likely to revert to an orthodox four-man defence on Monday, but Koeman expects them to approach the game with a similar philosophy.
"We are both Dutch managers, we like to play offensively, we like to dominate the game, but for different reasons," he said. "It's not my job [to control how United play]. Manchested United play a different system.
"In the last few games they played 4-4-2 with a diamond in midfield and maybe they will change for Monday, we will see.
"Still the manager likes to play attractive football, to score goals and create.
"Sometimes for lots of reasons you can't do that, but that's not my problem."
