Manchester United could relegate Steve Bruce’s Hull on Sunday with a victory, and Louis van Gaal has claimed that his side will be intending to do exactly that.
“We have the same approach as ever,” said Van Gaal. “We have to give our utmost best. We have to do that for the honesty of the league. I have to play my strongest team.”
Two of Bruce’s former United teammates, Andy Cole and Paul Parker, have claimed that United have to go for the win this weekend.
Andy Cole: “It will be business as usual because you want to finish the season on a high. Everybody wants to win the last game of the season, so I don’t think anything is going to change there. The United players will be relaxed because they know they are going to finish in the top four but they’ll still want to win their last game. Brucie, on the other hand, is trying to stay in the division so he will try to wind his team up to beat Manchester United. But that is football at the different ends of the spectrum. Of course I would be disappointed to see Brucie go down but it is business. You can’t go there as Manchester United and lie down for Steve Bruce. The players will be focused because it is the last game of the season and they want to win it. Then they’ll go on holiday and enjoy themselves before preparing for another tough season in 2015/16.”
Paul Parker: “Wayne Rooney wasn’t kidding anyone when he tried to put a positive spin on a disappointing campaign this week by declaring that the season’s main objective of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League had been achieved. Yes, they will finish in the top four compared to seventh in 2013-14, but a trophyless season simply isn’t good enough for a club like Manchester United. Full marks to manager Louis van Gaal for echoing the club’s competitive ethos when he warned of a “rough summer” for some of his players, ahead of Sunday’s finale at Steve Bruce’s Hull City. Brucie is a former teammate of mine from the 1990s and he will know that a season with eight Premier League defeats, plus a bare trophy cabinet, would be unacceptable under Sir Alex Ferguson who won 13 league titles. And you can safely count out a potential sprint onto the field by Van Gaal to celebrate a fourth place finish at the end of the game against relegation-threatened Hull. Just like Sir Alex after an unsatisfactory season, he would be stewing inside. A resounding away victory on Sunday is a must. While the Hull match is largely meaningless in the context of the final standings, the last thing the Dutchman needs is for three-time Premier League winner Bruce to get one over his former club. That would be a further reminder of just how far the Red Devils have fallen since their glory days.”