Louis Van Gaal Has 10 Games to Save Manchester United's Season

And so it all comes down to this. After the ups and downs of Manchester United's season, Louis van Gaal has got 10 games to save it.

A place in next season's Champions League was his minimum target when he took over from David Moyes in the summer. And after the FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal, it's all he has left. 

The run-in, or the "rat race" as Van Gaal likes to call it, will officially start on Sunday when United line up against Tottenham at Old Trafford. It will be a difficult game against a team who have won five of the last seven league games.

Jon Super/Associated Press

It is complicated further by Tottenham's own pursuit of a Champions League place, sitting sixth in the table, just three points behind United in fourth.

These are worrying times for Van Gaal. He might have a steadfast belief United will finish in the top four this season. But it's not one shared by some fans. Defeat to Arsenal on Monday was difficult to take. But it meant nothing in terms of Champions League qualification.

Still, United are facing games against Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal before the end of the season. If the FA Cup tie was a warm-up for that daunting fixture list, United fell at the first hurdle.

Jon Super/Associated Press

It's likely they will need close to 72 points to be guaranteed fourth place. On 53 after 28 games, they need another 19. Roughly, that equates to six wins and a draw from their final 10 matches. 

It would be a tall order anyway, and especially for a team which has been very inconsistent. Playing five of the top seven, plus tough games at Everton and Crystal Palace, doesn't help, either.

If you offered Van Gaal or the supporters this position at the start of the season, no one would have taken it. After signing Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao in the summer, it wasn't' supposed to be like this.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Yet Van Gaal still has the chance to make his first season at Old Trafford a success. It would have been unfathomable during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign that fourth place could be deemed a step in the right direction. But that's where United are after Moyes.

A good run between now and the end of the season and United will qualify for next season's Champions League. The doubts over Van Gaal will subside and he'll be handed more money to continue his rebuild.

But if they don't finish at least fourth, the questions about his suitability for the job will grow louder and louder. He has 10 games to meet his minimum target and save United's season. It's all come down to this.

Quotes obtained first-hand.