SAN JOSE, Sporting Alert – Louis van Gaal was delighted with Manchester United’s winning performance against Barcelona on Saturday, but warned that the most important fixture will be on 8 August against Tottenham in their Premier League opener.
Manchester United survived a number of early attacks from Barcelona to beat the reigning European champions 3-1 with a well-balanced performance in the third International Champions Cup pre-season fixture.
Wayne Rooney, Jesse Lingard And Adnan Januzaj were all on target for the English Premier League giants, who were recording their third successive victory of the summer.
Van Gaal admits that he was pleased with the way his team has been playing on the U.S. tour, but remains cautious about getting too carried away.
The Red Devils were equally as impressive during last summer’s pre-season, but dropped its opener against Swansea City, 2-1.
United also struggled to get a point at Sunderland in a 1-1 draw and at Burnley in a 0-0 tie in the fixtures after, and van Gaal doesn’t forget.
“We won last year (against Real Madrid) and it doesn’t mean anything because we lost the first match of the Premier League season against Swansea,” van Gaal said.
“That’s why I have said the whole tour, the most important game is not against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain or Club America it is against Tottenham Hotspur.”
The Dutchman is said to be in the market for another striker, after Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao both left the club in the summer, but he is also excited about the partnership Wayne Rooney and Memphis Depay are forming.
“They have always a threat and that’s very important,” he said. “I think Barcelona could not cope with the threat of Depay and Rooney.”
Van Gaal also had kind words for Belgian youngster Adnan Januzaj.
“I have to say that Adnan was also a big threat to them in the 30 minutes that he played, so that’s good to see,” he added.
