Louis van Gaal has warned Leicester City that his Manchester United players will not allow them to win the Barclays Premier League title at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Claudio Ranieri’s men require three more points to secure the championship crown, but the Reds must also win with a place in the top four still up for grabs and four important matches left to play.
Speaking to reporters at his pre-match press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Friday afternoon, van Gaal remained quietly optimistic of securing UEFA Champions League qualification next season and spoke of delaying the Foxes’ coronation as Premier League champions.
“I think we have to beat Leicester because we are still in the race for the first positions, so we have to beat them,” he said. “We cannot allow that they are the champions this weekend at Old Trafford. I think they shall be the champion a week later, so we don’t spoil the party, just postpone it a little bit.
“I was the first who said that they could be champions and now a presenter [Match of the Day’s Gary Lineker] has to wear underwear when they are the champions. For me it is not a surprise; I say that many, many times. I believe in team building and the manager has done that with this team.
“They had the circumstances to play always with the same team as they did not play so many matches as the other teams in the league, so it is always possible. It is good for the Premier League and the sport of football that not always the same teams are the champion.”
At his press conference, van Gaal was also quizzed on Ranieri’s remarkable work this season and the Dutchman was full of praise for the Italian, citing their previous meetings as managers in La Liga.
“Yeah, it was never easy to beat his teams,” van Gaal told reporters. “Valencia and Barcelona is also more or less a derby so it is a difficult match. He has always organised his teams very good.”
Manutd
We Cannot Allow Leicester To Win Title-Van Gaal
