Liverpool vs Manchester United: Louis van Gaal taunts Reds by claiming United are 'too big' to go through title drought

Van Gaal could not resist firing a jibe at United's opponents ahead of Sunday's trip to Anfield

Louis van Gaal at a Manchester United press conference ahead of the match at Liverpool (Getty Images)

Louis van Gaal has taunted Liverpool fans by claiming Manchester United are “too big” to go through a league title drought like the Reds have experienced ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Anfield.

Liverpool have never won the Premier League, with their last league success coming in the old First Division back in 1990. They came close to winning the title in 2013/14 under Brendan Rodgers, only to fall short and lose out on the final day of the season to Manchester City.

With United currently sitting in sixth in the league table on 34 points – their worst ever haul after 21 games in the Premier League era – Van Gaal faces an uncertain future, with reports suggesting that he could be sacked if United lose to their fierce rivals this weekend.

But the Dutchman could not resist a jibe aimed at his opponents on Sunday, and highlighted that he could never see United going through a 26-year title drought like the one experienced at Anfield.

“I am part of the transition so I cannot imagine that it shall happen with Manchester United,” said Van Gaal at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“When it is happening to Liverpool it can also happen to Manchester United but I cannot imagine that because we are going the right way, but maybe it shall take a longer time.

“But I cannot imagine it will be the same for Manchester United. It's too big, too well organised and we have an infrastructure and we are improving that every year.”

Van Gaal’s suggestion that they are “improving every year” will be received with much scepticism, given United are currently two places below their 2015/16 finishing position and have been knocked out of the Champions League and Capital One Cup this season, not to mention experiencing a run of eight fixtures without a victory through November and December.

Despite the pressure on him to turn around United’s season, Van Gaal was keen to stress the importance of the rivalry with the Merseyside outfit, and stressed that he has seen it for himself in the four games he has faced Liverpool since replacing David Moyes as United manager in 2014 – given that he has won every encounter so far.

“I have felt it (the rivalry) already four times, on the tour of the USA and in the league,” added Van Gaal. “You can see it on the faces of the players.

“We need to be aggressive but also under control. It is that kind of match and it will always be difficult because the passion at play in these kinds of games is always very high.”

Although he couldn’t resist taunting Liverpool in a throwback to the Sir Alex Ferguson days, Van Gaal was keen to praise their manager, Jürgen Klopp, for his impact on the top flight and his adjustment to the role since replacing Rodgers in October.

“You can see he plays a very aggressive and pressing kind of game and he already knows the difference between the Premier League and the German league,” he said of Klopp.

“He is a very capable manager in the Premier League because he has always showed this kind of football and I think the fans will love it.”