Louis van Gaal claims Manchester United squad with 13 title winners 'are not used to being champions'

The Dutchman, who could see Leicester City lift the title against his side on Sunday, either had a memory lapse or has not been paying attention

Rooney poses with the Premier League trophy outside Old Trafford in 2013 (Getty)

Manchester United are 17 points behind league leaders Leicester City because they ‘are not used to being champions’, according to Louis van Gaal.

The Foxes can wrap up their first top-flight league championship with victory at Old Trafford on Sunday and Van Gaal could not adequately explain why his side have failed to keep pace.

The Dutchman, who has endured a difficult nine months, attempted to put United’s deficit down to a lack of title-winning experience.

“The players who are now playing, they are not used to being champions,” said Van Gaal.

“I don't think Matteo Darmian is used to being a champion and David De Gea was never champion, so I don't agree with the way you make the question.”

De Gea, however, has one Premier League title to his name, playing 28 times during United’s triumphant 2012/13 campaign.

“Memphis Depay was a champion last year [with PSV Eindhoven] so not many players,” Van Gaal continued. “Rooney, Carrick, they have been the champions once, or maybe more than once.”

Rooney and Carrick, the club’s longest serving players, have each won more than one Premier League title – five, to be precise, over the last nine years at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal’s squad actually contains a total of 13 players who have won a domestic league title, seven of whom have done so at United.

Two others, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sergio Romero, won titles under the management of Van Gaal, while playing for Bayern Munich in 2009/10 and AZ Alkmaar in 2008/09 respectively.