Everything is working according to the plan – Louis van Gaal

Under-fire Manchester manager Louis van Gaal has insisted that his vision for the side “is working” ahead of three tricky fixtures.

The Red Devils went down 2-0 to arch rivals Liverpool in the first leg of their Europa League tie at Anfield on Thursday and will require a decisive victory in the return leg at Old Trafford next week to ensure their progress in the competition.

The game sits in between a tough FA Cup clash with West Ham United on Sunday and a Premier League encounter at Manchester City a week later as pressure once again rises on the Dutchman.

“Yes, I do think [my plan] is working,” Van Gaal told reporters in his pre-match press conference. “You have to see how we have to work with the circumstances we have to work. I do think it is working. The style is also working, but it is not giving the best results.

“When you don’t have too many players and you have to play in three competitions it is very difficult to play. We are in three competitions still. After the defeat in Midtjylland, you [the media] have sacked me already and then we stood up and we got into the next round and that is still possible against Liverpool. Maybe we can score three goals. It shall be very difficult, I know that, but it is possible. It is not impossible.

“Against West Ham United it is also possible. At Old Trafford, we normally win our games. But I don’t want to discuss it [the future] with you because you are not part of the people who determine it.”

In the league, United currently sit two points behind fifth-placed FA Cup opponents West Ham.