Manchester United vs. Aston Villa: Louis van Gaal's Key Press Conference Quotes

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has said that the international break came at a bad time for his in-form side but insisted that the Premier League title still isn’t beyond their reach.

The Dutchman spoke at a press conference ahead of his side’s clash with the rejuvenated Aston Villa on Saturday, and they’ll be looking to continue their scintillating recent form against them.

A convincing 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur was followed up by a confidence-boosting 2-1 triumph away at rivals Liverpool, with an unlikely star at the heart of it all.

Marouane Fellaini has come under immense criticism since his arrival at Old Trafford and has been the butt of a fair few jokes, too, but his recent form suggests he’s living up to his £27 million price tag. And it clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed in Van Gaal’s eyes, either, as Manchester Evening News revealed:

Labelling Fellaini undroppable just shows the remarkable transformation that the Belgian has made in recent weeks, but one man that won’t be taking to the Old Trafford field on Saturday is Robin van Persie.

The Dutch striker is edging closer to a return to action, but Van Gaal confirmed that the Villa clash will come too soon for him—per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:

That unfortunately means we’re not going to see another moment of Van Persie versus Villa magic, such as his title-winning hat-trick against them two seasons ago—the club’s official Twitter profile showed the pick of the goals:

Wayne Rooney, then, will keep his place up front, fresh from two strong performances for England, while Radamel Falcao watches on.

Chris Smalling’s potential absence means that Marcos Rojo could partner Phil Jones in the heart of defence on Saturday, having recovered from his latest knock.

Juan Mata will also keep his place in the starting lineup, with Angel Di Maria set for another frustrating afternoon on the bench.

Paying close to £60 million for a glorified substitute is something of a waste of money, but United’s recent performances mean that dropping someone to accommodate the Argentinian would be a real error.

United sit eight points behind Chelsea in the Premier League table, and they’ll be hoping to close the gap with a victory against Tim Sherwood’s side.

However, ever the optimist, Van Gaal said that eight points isn’t a bridge too far and that his side can still claim the title, via Dawson:

The nature of United’s squad depth meant that the majority of his lineup were in action for their respective nations over the last week, but the manager insisted that his team have been looking sharp in training:

Villa are playing much better football under the guidance of Sherwood, but taking points away from Old Trafford is unlikely to say the least.

With eight games remaining, the Red Devils have the Champions League qualification ball in their court, and should the performances continue, it’ll stay there.

Van Gaal left the press conference with an air of confidence about him, and it’s safe to say for the first time in his tenure that he has every right to feel as much.