Ex-Exec Gill Calls For Calm At Old Trafford

While Gill, who is now FIFA vice-President and the Football Association vice-Chairman, refused to comment on the future of manager Louis van Gaal, he was clearly unhappy at the style of football that has resulted in consistent boos at Old Trafford. The Dutch boss’s win rate of 49 per cent is now the worst of any United manager in the last 30 years.

Nonetheless, he came out of the turgid 1-0 defeat to Southampton raging to cheers from fellow fans, and not for the first time, urged Louis van Gaal to leave Old Trafford in a way only he can.

Van Gaal, being the strict disciplinarian that he is, has always ensured that the Manchester United squad reported to the training grounds on the day after a match.

“I am not going to get into talking about the quality of football but I am not going to sit here and say it is that attractive”, Gill, who now serves as a non-executive director for the club, told BBC 5 Live.

“I can understand also because I have seen also a poor match. I can not deny that”, Van Gaal said. I can only work hard with my players to improve our game and that is what I am doing.

“We’re fans as well as directors and we don’t want booing, we want cheering”, Gill said. “That is my job and not an easy job at the moment”.

After the match, Van Gaal said: “He’s in hospital”. United, going back to the 1950s under Matt Busby, have had that – and I started supporting when we had George Best. “I did not see confidence”.

Woodward has backed Van Gaal to the tune of £250million since appointing him as Moyes’ successor in the summer of 2014.

Manchester United have taken 37 points so far this season – their worst tally after 23 games in a single Premier League season.

Van Gaal knows that too, but he does not appear to be aware of whether his job is now in serious jeopardy.

Asked if he still has the fight to carry on, he said: “This question I shall never answer to you”.

“I don’t disagree with the notion that you can’t be a number two forever”.

Charlie Austin’s goal earned Southampton victory as United slumped to their first defeat in five.

The pressure on van Gaal will only increase with United having won just three of their last 13 games, and he noted that criticism from fans was more vitriolic than ever. We have to turn it around ourselves.

The latest full-back to fall victim to United’s injury curse was Matteo Darmian, who went off in the second half while spitting blood following an aerial collision with Shane Long.