2015 will be heady year for Manchester United, promises manager Louis van Gaal

After a slow start, the Dutchman has gradually started to turn things around, with the club now third in the table at the halfway stage

Louis van Gaal has told Manchester United fans that 2015 will be a year to remember – for all the right reasons. As United head into the new year, their supporters will reflect on a roller-coaster 12-month period that has seen them hit more lows than highs.

For the first time in 28 years, the club fired their manager. David Moyes’ six-year contract was ripped up after only 10 months and United went on to finish seventh in the Premier League.

However, although Van Gaal’s United won only one of their opening six games and crashed out of the Capital One Cup to League One side MK Dons, the Dutchman has slowly started to turn things around. United now stand third in the table at the halfway stage following a run of seven wins and two draws in their last nine matches.

Van Gaal strives for perfection, though, and while the recent improvement has clearly cheered him, he was quick to promise that “we shall be better in 2015. Just watch”. He added: “I think the players understand the philosophy, and that’s why we are improving – but we can improve more when we have all the players available to us. We can see 2015 with open eyes.”

Van Gaal’s first assignment of 2015 is to stretch United’s unbeaten run to 10 games at Stoke on New Year’s Day. The manager has made his anger clear at fixture planners for organising United’s game at Tottenham less than 48 hours after their Boxing Day victory over Newcastle.

The 63-year-old is, therefore, expected to rotate his team for the match at the Britannia Stadium. Luke Shaw and Rafael could start after suffering no reaction from their injury comeback at White Hart Lane last Sunday, while Adnan Januzaj, Ander Herrera and Angel di Maria are back in training and could feature. However, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini are all expected to miss out.

PA