Key Takeaways from Louis Van Gaal's Press Conference Before Leicester City Match

Manchester United returned from the international break with a bang as they cruised to a 4-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Sept. 14. It marked the first Premier League victory for new manager Louis van Gaal, who will hope his side can continue to build momentum against Leicester City on Sunday.

The club's rebuilt attack looked ready to take off against QPR as Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera both scored while Radamel Falcao made a debut cameo as a second-half substitute. It was exactly the type of performance the Red Devils needed after a sluggish start to the campaign.

United shouldn't expect that little resistance this week, though. Leicester have displayed good form at King Power Stadium so far in league play, earning draws against both Everton and Arsenal. They are also coming off their first triumph of the season, 1-0 over Stoke City on the road.

Van Gaal believes the attacking boost the supporters witnessed last week is here to stay, though:

All of the additions are starting to settle in and find their place within the squad. It's always going to take some time to build up the necessary chemistry to succeed on a consistent basis, but it definitely appears United are trending in the right direction.

Of course, it's hard for a United manager to spend any extended length of time talking about the attack without Cristiano Ronaldo. Mark Ogden of The Telegraph notes Van Gaal didn't completely rule out a future move, but didn't sound optimistic any type of deal could be reached, either:

"

But when asked at his Friday press conference whether he could bring Ronaldo back to United, Van Gaal said: "Yes, but it's always a discussion in the papers, and I don't think the media shall buy Ronaldo."

[...]

"It is possible," Van Gaal said. "That's what I have said with [Radamel] Falcao.

"Players like Ronaldo give a lot of extra to a team, but I don't think Real Madrid shall sell him."

"

While Ronaldo returning to United is obviously an intriguing storyline, the amount of substance connected to any of the paper talk is limited. The new boss will get used to answering those types of inquiries, though.

One situation that Van Gaal will need to balance delicately is at striker. He admits the club has a lot of players battling for limited space in the starting XI:

Van Gaal didn't shed too much light on the selection process for Sunday's match. The MUFC Bible pointed out there was one player he did say would get in the lineup, and it's certainly no shock:

It will be interesting to see who joins Wayne Rooney from the crowded attacking group.

In other news, Van Gaal was pleased to announce the injury list is beginning to shrink with Chris Smalling available for selection once again:

The defender has made steady progress over the past few seasons. Having him available is a nice boost to the back line.

Even though it's still early, Sunday's match is a good litmus test for United. They are going out on the road after a big win and have a good chance to pick up three more points. The question is whether they will rise to the occasion or falter again.

Van Gaal wasn't ready to provide too much insight into his plans during the pre-match press conference. His comments about Ronaldo will probably generate more buzz than anything else. But the focus must be solely on continuing to climb the table and building on the renewed positive vibes.