Players are still behind me, Van Gaal insists

London: Louis van Gaal has declared that he intends to fight on as Manchester United manager despite growing calls for him to leave after a humbling defeat by Norwich City on Saturday prompted a chorus of boos from home fans.

Van Gaal believes that he retains the support of the club’s owners, the Glazer Family, and, perhaps crucially, the players in the midst of a deepening crisis at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman had stated that he would resign if he felt that his squad had lost confidence in him. But asked if that was the case, he said: “No. I have seen the reaction of the players towards me. The most important support is from the players.

“The chemistry between the players and the manager and his staff is very important. But of course the belief of the fans in the manager is also very important. Last year, they believed in me. They thought I would bring us to the top.

“Now we are in a bad period. We have lost three matches in a row and their belief has been tested. It’s important how the fans are thinking, of course. But the most important thing is Manchester United.”

His confidence that he still enjoyed the board’s backing came after a brief conversation post-match with Ed Woodward, the club’s chief executive. “I feel that support, yes,” he said.

This defeat was United’s sixth consecutive match without a victory and led to them dropping out of the Premier League’s top four. That followed elimination from the Champions League at the group stage this month, and a Capital One Cup exit at home following elimination by the Championship side Middlesbrough in October.

Jose Mourinho is understood to be interested in taking charge at Old Trafford, having been sacked by Chelsea on Thursday, while Pep Guardiola has also been touted as a contender after confirming yesterday that he would leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, although Manchester City is his more likely destination.

Neither Woodward nor the Glazers have given any indication that they are looking to make a change of manager, but they and the United board are fully aware of the levels of disquiet among the club’s support. Van Gaal had just led Holland to third place at the World Cup finals last year when he arrived at Old Trafford on a three-year contract after United’s slump under David Moyes.

Having finished seventh in 2013-14, United rose to fourth last season under Van Gaal, regaining a place in the Champions League. However, Van Gaal had faced growing criticism from fans and former players all season regarding his unadventurous style of play. Paul Scholes, who won two Champions League titles and 11 Premier League medals under Sir Alex Ferguson, stated that he would not have enjoyed playing under Van Gaal.

The former United captain Rio Ferdinand said on Saturday that they should move for Guardiola, who led Barcelona to Champions League success twice and has won the German title in each of his two full seasons at Bayern.

The fact that Mourinho is now a free agent, and is believed to be keen to make a quick return to management makes him a more immediate threat to Van Gaal. Van Gaal’s side did little to appease their critics as they lost against Norwich, managing just two shots on target against a side who had won one of their previous 11 league matches.

United visit a Stoke City team managed by their former striker Mark Hughes on Boxing Day before a home match two days later against Chelsea. Van Gaal said: “I always think a good result helps the confidence to increase and that is what we need now. And we need it much more now after our first home league defeat of the season.”