adminLONDON. — It was, once again, another timely shot in the arm for Louis van Gaal and, when the Manchester United manager is hovering close to the precipice, his players have usually managed to pull out a result for him.
The Dutchman seems to have more lives than a cat, but even among this bulging canon of lifelines he has been granted, victory over West Ham United in a frenetic FA Cup quarter-final replay felt particularly significant.
If Van Gaal can somehow conjure a Cup triumph, and only Everton now stand between United and a place in the final at Wembley on May 21, it may well prove enough to save him at Old Trafford, regardless of whether the club miss out on Champions League qualification or the alternative managerial options.
There was further evidence at Upton Park that there is optimism and promise to be found down the line in the youthful figures of goalscorer Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martiak, Jesse Lingard and Tim Fosu-Mensah and, no doubt when he returns from injury, Luke Shaw, while fans will also hope other youngsters such as Memphis Depay, Andreas Pereira and Adnan Januzaj come good.
But there are much more immediate concerns and, regardless of who is in charge of United from the summer, the importance of keeping David De Gea out of the clutches of Real Madrid or any other potential suitors will be one of the most pressing issues facing the manager.
De Gea’s progress over the past 3½ seasons has been little short of remarkable and in the second half at Upton Park the Spain goalkeeper seemed to be on a one-man mission to drag United into the semi-finals and, at the same time, keep the wolves from Van Gaal’s door for a little longer.
His late double-save to deny first Cheikhou Kouyate with his hands and then Andy Carroll with his feet was quite brilliant while the astonishing reflex save to thwart Michail Antonio moments before West Ham scored was further evidence of a goalkeeper at the absolute top of his game. — Telegraph/Mailonline.
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