Van Gaal still searching for his best Man Utd team

Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal. Credit: John Walton/PA Wire

Louis van Gaal has been in charge of Manchester United for more than seven months but he freely admits he still does not know his best starting XI or formation.

United may be third in the Premier League, but that has not saved their veteran manager from criticism.

The first signs of unrest came last month at QPR when United fans demanded Van Gaal ditch his three-man defence by chanting "4-4-2".

The Dutchman has bowed to their demands in recent weeks, switching to a 4-4-2 diamond, but he concedes that he still has not found a settled line-up.

"No, I don't think so," Van Gaal said when asked if he had found the right balance in his team.

"I have played now already five or six systems and I am looking still for the balance. But this system is more attractive than normally and I can play with more attacking players.

"That's the reason I am doing that.

"In spite of the fact that we are looking for the balance, our results are not bad and our defensive organisation is not bad, we also score a lot of goals. So, I cannot say that I am very disappointed about that. But we have to it now, and normally you have to do it pre-season."