Louis Van Gaal Talks Marcus Rashford, More After Manchester United Beat Villa

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal praised young forward Marcus Rashford for his fine showing in the 1-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa, but he also admitted his team need to play more entertaining football moving forward.

As reported by Paul Ansorge of Bleacher Report UK, Van Gaal understood the fans were anything but happy after the final whistle:

"

LvG: I agree that we have to give more entertainment for the fans but also you have to win your game.

— Paul (@UtdRantcast) April 16, 2016"

Per Adam Marshall of the club's official website, he admitted the squad was far from its best:

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It was not our best performance, of course, you have seen it for yourself. I think we played too slowly and it was also difficult as they were playing very defensively and very compact. So then you need quicker play, quicker ball-speed and so on. In the first half we created enough chances to finish with two goals and then the motivation also with the players of Villa shall be less and the game is more easy. It is not like that though - we didn't finish and, at the end, could have drawn which is not good.

"

The Red Devils may have grabbed three vital points on Saturday, but after the match, fans and pundits alike were thoroughly disappointed with what they saw.

Kevin Palmer of the Sunday World described the scenes at Old Trafford:

Rashford scored the only goal of the match after 32 minutes after some lovely work from Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia, but the Red Devils dominated Villa before the break and should have been leading by more goals.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

They were just as wasteful after half-time and nearly paid dearly, as Rudy Gestede wasted two great chances in the final minutes.

The Dutchman pointed at the 2-1 win over West Ham United in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday as a reason he shook up his squad, but he was shocked his team came out so flat:

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LvG: Because of the intensive game (v WH) I have changed 5 players but I was surprised we could not lift ourselves) pic.twitter.com/afZKQDE5tT

— Paul (@UtdRantcast) April 16, 2016"

Van Gaal wasn't entirely negative in his post-match presser, however. He praised Rashford, who once again showed his remarkable value by scoring a vital goal.

While several key players, including Anthony Martial, were rested against Villa, Van Gaal couldn't ignore Rashford's sensational form:

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Momentum, and he was very positive about his fitness.

— Paul (@UtdRantcast) April 16, 2016"

He also praised the teenager's vision to make a run toward the post before holding his position, allowing Valencia to pick him out in the box for the only goal of the match: "It was also good movement, I have to say, as he runs for the first ball and then cut off because there was no space for that. Antonio Valencia was very good to see that and he [Rashford] scored a very good and important goal."

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Wayne Rooney started his first match since February and lasted 67 minutes before he was replaced by Jesse Lingard, showing few signs of rust. He isolated Valencia in the buildup for the goal and played a solid first half, although his touch did let him down a few times.

Van Gaal was more than satisfied with Rooney's performance:

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That pass [in the build-up to the goal] was fantastic. He did a lot of switches. I think he played a very good first half but, in the second half, you could see he was tired. He was losing the ball [several times] in a row but that's also logical when you're not playing for two months and not training for two months. It is difficult to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League.

"

Memphis Depay was one of the standout performers, as he found success against Villa's low defensive line throughout the contest. Per Van Gaal, he lacked a “little bit [of] luck,” as he certainly could have scored or assisted.

The win keeps United alive in the race for a top-four finish and a ticket for next year's UEFA Champions League, but fans will expect more from this team moving forward.

Against a team struggling as badly as Villa―Saturday's result saw them relegated―the Red Devils simply have to do better. United will have a chance to make a more positive impression on Wednesday, when they host Crystal Palace.  

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