Van Gaal: I want my players to be horny

"Desire - it is a great word. I often use the word 'hungry' and 'horny' with my players," he told the media.

Published : Feb 25, 2016 17:09 IST , Manchester

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is under pressure to overturn a first leg deficit.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is under pressure to overturn a first leg deficit.
lightbox-info

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is under pressure to overturn a first leg deficit.

Louis van Gaal claims he wants his Manchester United players to be "horny" as they look to overturn a Europa League deficit against Midtjylland.

United heads into Thursday's game at Old Trafford looking to bounce back from a hugely disappointing 2-1 defeat in Denmark last week which prompted angry outbursts from the travelling supporters.

Van Gaal's side responded with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup on Monday and the former Netherlands boss has underlined the importance of his players' desire to improve as they aim to keep their European campaign alive.

"Desire - it is a great word. I often use the word 'hungry' and 'horny' with my players," he told the media. "You hope that it is like that, and they showed it against Shrewsbury Town also. Players and managers want to fight for the victory, but players are human beings. You also are not always in the same shape or form."

"There's a lot of criticism, so it can influence [the players] but they have to use their tools to ignore it."

Van Gaal went on to dismiss suggestions that United should have made light work of Midtjylland in the first leg.

"No, I think Midtjylland has a very good organisation, very detailed and the players want to perform that organisation," he said. "They play with diagonal pressing. I do that also with my team. Not many teams are doing that. And when I see the data of Midtjylland they have always won against English opponents."

"But also we have to keep the ball better and we have to move the ball quicker - that's always what we have to do. And especially when the opponent is so well organised."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment