Leicester vs Manchester United: Louis van Gaal lauds 'nasty' Jamie Vardy ahead of top-of-the-table clash

United will be without Phil Jones and Ander Herrera once again but Michael Carrick could return for the trip to league leaders Leicester

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy celebrates scoring against Manchester United last season (Getty Images)

Manchester United will still be without a number of key players for this weekend’s trip to Premier League leaders Leicester after Louis van Gaal revealed neither Ander Herrera nor Phil Jones have recovered in time to feature.

Van Gaal has come under scrutiny this week for his dull style of football currently being played by United, with critics highlighting that the team is being set out not to concede rather than outscore opponents.

Former United players Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen led the criticism, with Van Gaal, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial taking the brunt of the negative analysis, but Van Gaal says he would be more concerned with his side if they weren’t creating chances rather than their current inability to convert them.

Injuries haven’t helped his cause, with both Rooney and Martial missing last weekend’s trip to Watford while Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia are both in a race to play again this season.

Michael Carrick could return for Saturday’s trip to the King Power Stadium, having missed United’s last two matches, but both Jones and Herrera will miss out.

"If we weren't creating chances I'd be worried, but we are and we don't give too much away - normally our results are good,” Van Gaal said at his pre-match press conference.

"Our defensive organisation is normally the best part of our game. We've proved that more than ever this season."

Van Gaal also spoke of the decision to let striker James Wilson leave the club to join Brighton Hove and Albion on loan until the end of the season, despite having a lack of strike options at the club. He also revealed that the 19-year-old, who turns 20 next week, does have a recall clause in his contract should he be needed.

"I have not always chosen him [Wilson] in the selection, and I think for him it’s better to play at his age than sit on the bench or play in the second squad,” he said. “In the short term, maybe it’s not so good for Manchester United, but in the long term it’s better. It is part of the development of a player."

The former Netherlands manager also had high praise for both Leicester striker Jamie Vardy and his manager Claudio Ranieri after leading the Foxes to the top of the table. Vardy has the chance to surpass former United striker Ruud van Nistlerooy’s record for the most consecutive matches scored in, with the forward needing a goal at the weekend to stretch his record to an unmatched 11 games after matching Van Nistlerooy’s mark last weekend.

Van Gaal certainly had high praise for Vardy despite calling him a “nasty” player to deal with in attempting to stop him, as he compared his run of form to former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp’s during his spell at Ajax under Van Gaal’s guidance.

"He was already last year a very nasty player for us,” Van Gaal explained. “He scores, he provoked a penalty and now he is scoring in a row ten goals so now you are a great player. I only know, for example, Dennis Bergkamp as a player with me did the same with Ajax and that is not so easy."

On Ranieri, Van Gaal said: "He is an excellent manager. He has guided very big clubs in Italy and in Spain and now he is doing that here, and I am very happy that he is able to do that."