BURNLEY - Louis Van Gaal admitted Manchester United are playing well below the standards he demands after his spluttering side were held to a 0-0 draw by Burnley on Saturday.
BURNLEY - Louis Van Gaal admitted Manchester United are playing well below the standards he demands after his spluttering side were held to a 0-0 draw by Burnley on Saturday.
The former Holland coach heads into the international break still waiting for the first victory of his United reign after two draws and a defeat in the Premier League, as well as a humiliating loss at third-tier Milton Keynes Dons in the League Cup.
Van Gaal, whose team will be stuck on two points - their worst start since 2007 - until they face promoted Queens Park Rangers on September 14, admitted: "We don't look world class at the moment.
"We shall have to wait and believe it will happen. We shall see where we are in a month or so."
However, having scanned the fixture list to reveal games against Leicester City and West Ham United before the end of September, the Dutchman will expect his team to have hoisted themselves towards the right end of the table sooner rather than later.
By then he should have been joined by compatriot Daley Blind, the 24-year-old Ajax star who was a key part of Van Gaal's Netherlands team at the World Cup and is expected to sign imminently for around £14-million (about R246-million).
Blind's arrival will continue Van Gaal's £150-million overhaul of the United squad following the debut of Angel di Maria on Saturday. The Argentina midfielder, who cost a British record £59.7-million from Real Madrid, lasted 69 minutes before making way for Anderson.
Di Maria showed one or two nice touches at Turf Moor, but Van Gaal said: "He was not the world-class player we have seen in Madrid.
"He needs to adapt to English culture and the English way of playing. And his teammates need to adapt as well."
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