Manchester United vs Watford: Louis van Gaal's Key Quotes from Pre-Match Presser

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has urged the media to leave young forward Marcus Rashford alone for now, as he doesn't want the teenager to find himself under too much pressure too early.  

As reported by the Daily Mirror's Jacob Murtagh, the Dutchman believes his older players will take care of Rashford:

"

First I think that the media have to leave him in peace. When you are in front of his house and that kind of stuff, I don’t think that is beneficial for a boy of 18 years.

[...] The older players will guide him and I hope to guide you also in this press conference: He is getting too much attention and it’s not always easy to deal with that attention.

It’s remarkable and I can understand that you are praising him, but still he has to show his consistency.

"

Van Gaal took the time to answer several questions about his newest star during his press conference on Tuesday ahead of the match against Watford on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Rashford fired the Red Devils past FC Midtjylland with a brace on his debut and repeated those heroics against Arsenal, bringing some much-needed positivity to Old Trafford in the process.

The Dutchman was asked what type of advice he likes to give to youngsters, per Metro's Chris Winterburn:

Unsurprisingly, reporters wanted to ask Van Gaal about his "dive" against Arsenal that almost broke the Internet, per Sky Sports. The manager threw himself to the ground after he disagreed with a decision from the official, a move we hadn't yet seen from the former Bayern Munich boss.

Per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, fans shouldn't expect a repeat performance:

Per Winterburn, he did admit it wasn't the first time he'd done that:

Van Gaal was also asked why he isn't always as outgoing as he was on Sunday, and the Dutchman took a slight shot at the reporters in his answer, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone:

Looking ahead at the task at hand, Van Gaal admitted his squad cannot rotate too much due to the numerous injuries the Red Devils are struggling with, which is bad news given their busy schedule, per Murtagh:

"

It is a very difficult programme for us because we have to recover within two days for the second time.

We have a small selection so it’s difficult and I cannot rotate too much. But I feel that the players are doing everything to recover.

They are very professional, and I hope that we can continue.

"

United will play Watford on Wednesday, just days after their 3-2 win over Arsenal. The Hornets have recently been in solid form and will present a tricky challenge―even in-form Tottenham Hotspur struggled tremendously against the team.

When asked about Spurs' title chances and who he believes will finish the season on top, Van Gaal highlighted Leicester City and Tottenham―two teams who still have to face United, via Murtagh:

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I think always the number one has the biggest chance, and that is Leicester - you can see for yourself. 

Tottenham are playing very well I think, so they have a big chance, they are two points behind. Tottenham and Leicester both have to play against us, so you never know.

"

With Manchester City facing a tricky visit to Liverpool, United could move level on points with their rivals with a win over Watford, although the Citizens still have a match in hand. The Red Devils look up for a battle for a fourth-placed finish, and a win over Watford would only add more momentum for Van Gaal's squad.

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