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Live Coverage: Louis van Gaal's weekly Manchester United press conference

Sports Mole brings you live coverage from Louis van Gaal's pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United's match against Sunderland.
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Louis van Gaal has urged Manchester United's fans to "believe" in his pre-match press conference ahead of this weekend's match against Sunderland.

The club lost 2-1 to Swansea City in the Dutchman's first Premier League match in charge of the side.

The manager also discussed new signing Marcos Rojo and rumours surrounding players leaving the team.

Read what Van Gaal said below:


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Good afternoon, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal will speak to reporters in the next 15 minutes or so ahead of the team's Premier League match against Sunderland this weekend.

The Dutchman's first pre-match press conference last week was brief and to the point. His opening Premier League match in charge of the side ended in defeat to Swansea City, but Van Gaal will be hoping for a better result this time out.

The club are also due to unveil new signing Marcos Rojo this afternoon. The defender joined the club from Sporting Lisbon earlier this week, and could feature at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Several players have been linked with moves away from Old Trafford before the end of the transfer window, so it will be interesting to hear which players Van Gaal says are unavailable for the trip.

Don't forget, we'll have live coverage of the match on Sports Mole on Sunday afternoon, as well as team news, previews and plenty of build up beforehand.

After this match, Man Utd have, on paper, a relatively kind run of matches. Their next three outings will be against the three newly-promoted sides, as well as a League Cup tie against MK Dons.

Van Gaal is ready to begin his press conference...

Van Gaal starts by addressing the fans' response to last week's defeat. He tells reporters: "Two weeks ago I was the king of Manchester. Now I am the devil. I was not hired to be fired, but to build up a team, and that is a process that needs time."

Van Gaal turns his attention to new signings Marcos Rojo. He reveals that he was "enchanted" by the defender at the World Cup, while saying: "I think Marcos fits in the profile as a left central defender. Also a left wing-back."

Danny Welbeck is among those that have been linked with the exit at Old Trafford. However, the manager insists that the reports are just guesswork: "I know what I said to Danny Welbeck and he knows exactly what I said. I think the media is guessing. I can imagine the fans are scared. They saw last year and the first home match. They have to believe."

The Old Trafford boss is asked about calls by some fans for the club to bring in more players, to which he responds: "The fans can think like that but it's not easy trying to buy and sell in the football market."

Van Gaal turns hi attention back to speculation regarding players leaving the club. He reiterates: "I think the media is guessing, they were not in the room and I don't speak about that because that's private."

Once again, it's another brief but entertaining press conference from Van Gaal. The manager hasn't given any injury updates or squad news, so that will surely be still to come over the weekend. Man Utd were without nine players last weekend, but Van Gaal will be hoping to have at least some of those back.

That's all from Van Gaal this afternoon, but join us again on Sunday to find out if the manager can get his first Premier League win. Until then, thanks for joining me this afternoon, goodbye.

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Manchester United Manager Louis van Gaal takes his seat prior to the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford on August 16, 2014
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