Louis van Gaal should NOT be sacked even if Manchester United fail to qualify for the Champions League this season, according to former defender Gary Neville.
United currently sit fourth but after a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City at the weekend, have a number of sides, including Liverpool, chasing them for the much coveted Champions League places.
United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League under David Moyes last season saw the Scottish coach removed from his position, but Neville believes Van Gaal should remain in charge if they fail to reach Europe.
“Louis van Gaal should not be sacked [if Manchester United fail to make the top four],” he told talkSPORT.
“It would be a terrible season for Man United and Louis van Gaal. He would probably say it was a big failure because he knows his job this season.
“He has to get in the Champions League but, on the other hand, if he didn’t, no, you can’t just sack a manager one year and then sack another manager the year after. Where do you go from there?
“There has to be a level of continuity. I absolutely believe this time there will be continuity at Man United and they will stand by him even if he doesn’t finish in the top four and that’s the right thing to do.”
The former United full-back believes United can hold of their rivals and achieve qualification to Europe’s elite competition, though he believes Van Gaal’s side will have to improve on some of their most recent performances.
“I still think Manchester United will finish in the top four, he added. “I think they will scrape in. At the start of the season I thought they’d finish third.
“There is a period in March where they have Arsenal in an FA Cup quarter-final, then they have Spurs the Sunday after and Liverpool after that. There is an international break and then they have got Aston Villa, Man City and Chelsea.
“That will be a big period but, actually, Van Gaal and Man United started the season really poorly and these big games came along and they seemed to grow.
“I’d like to think these games will inspire some of the bigger players at Man United. They need to step up their performances. There is no doubt about that.”