Louis van Gaal suggested he could resign after Manchester United lost 2-0 at Stoke City, marking a fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
United, who started captain Wayne Rooney on the bench at the Britannia Stadium, fell behind to a Bojan Krkic goal after a poor defensive header from Memphis Depay, and Marko Arnautovic added a second soon afterwards with a fierce strike following a free kick.
United had a chance to reduce the deficit when Rooney, who replaced Depay at the break, set up Marouane Fellaini, but his shot was tame and Stoke finished the game in relative comfort.
Van Gaal, who hit out at the media in midweek over reports he would be sacked, told reporters after the match that he could consider walking away.
“We have lost a fourth game, so we have to wait and see,” he said. “The club doesn’t have to fire or sack me — sometimes I do it by myself.”
Asked whether he was the man to motivate the United players, he said: “That is now the big issue.
He also explained his comments at the news conference, when he requested an apology from journalists and then walked out early.
“My message was that the media are saying and writing things that are not happening inside Manchester United,” he said. “That was my message and not that I am hurt, because I am used to that.”
Van Gaal was also asked to explain his decision to leave Rooney out of the starting XI.
“I am always very faithful [to the players] and I see also how they have trained,” he said. “They wanted to perform well but the circumstances are also difficult.
“It is not only the circumstances with the wind but also with the pressure. That is in my opinion the reason why they didn’t dare to play football. In the second half we were in a losing position and then you can give everything more easily. That is what we have done.”
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