Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was left unimpressed by their display against Club Brugge, labelling the game a ‘lousy contest’.
United took on Brugge in Belgium on Thursday evening in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 clash.
It proved to be a dull evening for all concerned, with Anthony Martial’s goal cancelling out Emmanuel Bonaventure’s opener in the 15th minute.
The result did not surprise many, with Manchester United having openly admitted they are not interested in the Europa League this season and Ole Gunnar Solskjær opting for a rotated side once again.
The plaudits were few and far between for United as a result and, according to Henk Houwaart, who watched the game with Van Gaal in Brugge, the Dutchman was not impressed by what he saw.
“Louis thought it was a lousy contest,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
“(We) both thought it was a worthless match. After no more than three passes, they lost the ball again (and) Louis sighed.
“It was just friendly. Too bad, because Man United were there to be taken, had Club Brugge player with their best team. Well, it’s not over yet. We’ll score in England.”
Fortunately for Van Gaal, his opinion is unlikely to cause much of a stir back in Manchester, with may United fans likely to share his sentiments.
Manchester United’s focus is elsewhere given a top-four place is still very much up for grabs, and it would be surprising if anyone at the club is particularly interested in the Europa League or their performances in it.
