adminDefiant Louis van Gaal vowed to stay in charge of Manchester United after insisting the “players are fighting for me”.
Van Gaal remains under pressure after an eighth game without a win, even though United dominated Chelsea and produced their best performance for weeks.
But after suggesting he could quit in the wake of the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Stoke, the Dutchman said he would battle on after this display in which David de Gea made a string of vital saves.
Van Gaal said: “There’s no reason to sack me. I can’t have any influence on that.
“I can only work with my players and you can see they’re fighting for me.
“Even after this result the fans were applauding, so I can’t say I’m very concerned.
“In football you never know, but I’m fully confident in the board and my players.
“Will I resign? On the contrary. When the players can give such a performance with a lot of pressure, there isn’t any reason to resign for me.
“I shall not resign. It’s not a question of staying, it’s a question of fulfilling my contract.”
United’s failure to score extended their winless run and kept them in sixth place in the table – five points adrift of the top four.
Van Gaal’s side wasted a host of chances to score and have failed to find the net in five of their last eight home games.
Juan Mata hit the bar and Anthony Martial struck a post, but United were unable to score. The Reds have now scored just 10 goals in their last 14 games in all competitions.
But Van Gaal added: “My relationship with players, board and staff members is very good.” — Mirror
Online Reporter