Louis Van Gaal Talks Wayne Rooney, Fans After Manchester United Beat CSKA Moscow

Louis van Gaal was in a bullish and defiant mood after Wayne Rooney spared the Manchester United manager's blushes by scoring the Red Devils' only goal to beat CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

Despite yet another flat showing from United, Van Gaal insisted his team is headed in the right direction—in both the Premier League and the Champions League—this season.    

Van Gaal responded to Rooney's goal by confirming his ceaseless support for the striker whose form has been sporadic at best for most of this season. But Van Gaal believes Rooney can still be counted on to deliver, as noted by Manchester Evening News reporter Simon Bajkowski:

Rooney's goal has not only eased the tension surrounding his recent lukewarm performances, but it's also let him move up in the record books. He's joined Denis Law as the joint-second leading goalscorer in Red Devils history, something Rooney's taking pride in, according to ESPNUK:

While Van Gaal has welcomed the goal, he insists Rooney has still been playing a vital role for United even when he hasn't been scoring. He also made clear his belief his United team is "on schedule," per an interview with BT Sport:

"

"We are a force!" LVG backs @WayneRooney before declaring @ManUtd "on schedule" in the #UCL and @premierleague. https://t.co/mzWSqEIv3C

— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) November 3, 2015"

Rooney decided a largely turgid Group B encounter. The static fare was the cue for discontent from the Old Trafford faithful who had seen one too many tepid performances recently.

Fans made their feelings known before Rooney scored, but LVG suggested their reaction doesn't matter, according to Oliver Kay of the Times:

The fact Van Gaal downplayed the noise from the stands is going to be a divisive issue for many. Earning a vital three points in Europe's premier club competition is currency for any manager, particularly one who has seen his team struggle mightily in recent weeks. 

Those struggles were summed up by three straight goalless draws before welcoming CSKA to Old Trafford. Along with misfiring for most of the game against the Russian side, frustration was palpable. Kay noted how the discontent was unprecedented during Van Gaal's time in charge:

It had been a long 404 minutes without seeing the ball cross the line for United before Rooney struck. BT Sport Football Twitter carried highlights of the rare Rooney goal:

Yet, despite making awfully hard work of it, Van Gaal defiantly asserted United were more than worthy winners, according to the club's official Twitter account:

If they were worthy, United certainly had their defence to thank for the three points. In particular, centre-back Chris Smalling was very impressive.

Clearly buoyed by a welcome win, Van Gaal allowed himself a humorous aside by referencing a previous name slip involving United's new talisman at the back, per Bajkowski:

Van Gaal was recalling the moment he called Smalling "Mike" during the club's preseason tour of America back in July, per the Daily Mail's Jack Briden.

He may be in jovial mood, but the pressure on Van Gaal hasn't lifted much with this result. The scrutiny concerning United's suddenly stunted style of play is sure to continue.

No matter how blunt he is about the club's supporters, Van Gaal can't ignore the fact United fans demand fluency and attacking intent. The current squad has been woefully short of both too often recently.