Louis van Gaal criticised by Adidas CEO Herbert Hainer

Speaking after the game, van Gaal made it clear he hoped the performances would improve against Sheffield United and Newcastle.

United manager Van Gaal has come under pressure in recent weeks, with the club enduring their worst run of form in over 25 years.

Although the comments of a sponsor’s CEO will do little do deter Van Gaal from what he feels is right, it is just another discontented voice to add to an already large army of disgruntled fans and ex-players. Well, according to Carragher the answer is very simple, he needs to score goals over a prolonged period. The three central midfielders at United, Michael Carrick, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin do not create enough chances for the team.

“They are very angry that we lost so many games in a row”, he said.

“I just think he’s been playing so long now that maybe it’s 30 on his birth certificate but in terms of games played he’s a 35-year-old player”, Carragher noted.

So much so, the Dutchman reportedly wants to meet the parents of his players – in order to judge how they will look when they are older.

Wayne Rooney secured a welcome 2-1 victory over Swansea on Saturday with a clever backheel in the 77th minute. “That’s why I said after this game that he has played two fantastic games in a row”, said Van Gaal.

His contract at Old Trafford is drawing to a close and with no signs of a new deal in sight, an opportunity presents itself for another team to bring him in as early as this month.

Rooney contented himself by tweeting a photograph of him embracing Martial after his goal, accompanied by the message: “Great start to the year”.

“He does everything we expect from him as a captain, but also as a player and in what position he plays”. “I hope this is a fantastic starting point for us”.

The move paid off as United ended an eight-game wait for a win with one of their most positive attacking performances for some time, in which Martial and Rooney scored together for the first time.