Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal booed by fans as he thanks them for their 'unconditional' support... before saying expectations are too high at Old Trafford
Louis van Gaal given rough reception as he thanks Manchester United fans
Supporters booed the Dutchman during post-match Old Trafford speech
United beat Bournemouth 3-1 to secure fifth spot in the Premier League
Van Gaal said afterwards that United's fans expectation were unrealistic
Louis van Gaal was booed by a half-empty Old Trafford as he thanked Manchester United fans for their support on Tuesday night and stated his desire to 'bring the FA Cup home'.
United finished the Premier League season with a 3-1 win against Bournemouth in the rearranged fixture which means they finish fifth in the table, missing out on the Champions League.
Some fans brought banners to Tuesday night's game calling for Van Gaal to leave the club. But the Dutchman who has previously admitted finishing in the top four was the minimum expectation for the club, said in a post-match interview that supporters' targets are too optimistic.
Asked if he understood why fans booed him following the game, Van Gaal told Sky Sports: 'Of course, because the expectation is very high.
'The fans are expecting a lot but I think these expectations are much too high. We are a team in transition and I said that when I started here at Manchester United. Maybe I need to bring over the message much clearer than I have done.'
The United boss will certainly be expected to return to Old Trafford with the FA Cup this weekend, when his side faces Crystal Palace at Wembley.
The Dutchman vowed he wanted to win and that the fans deserved to have a trophy more than any others.
'I would like to say something,' Van Gaal began as he tried to break through the sea of boos.
'On behalf of my players, of my staff, of myself I want to thank you for the unconditional support of you.
'Wherever we have played, however the things have gone on the field you never let us down.
'Thank you for that and we want to bring the FA Cup home to you. You deserve it over any other fan of a club.'
Speaking after the game former Arsenal striker and ex-Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn said that Van Gaal must win the FA Cup if he is to have any chance of keeping his job.
But Quinn also said that he did not personally believe the Dutchman was the right man to bring United forward.
'[Winning the FA Cup] gives him a fighting chance I guess because then there's probably a tougher decision to make at board level,' Quinn said on Sky Sports.
'His fate is in other people's hands now and I'm surprised it's come to that. When he got this job here I thought he was the type of strong character that Manchester United needed to bring through but what's gone out of Manchester United is the fear.
'It's unbelievable and I didn't think in all my time in football that I would come to Old Trafford knowing the away team probably fancy their chances.'
Alan Smith said Van Gaal's comments would be hard for the fans to hear after spending £240million
Quinn added: 'There's something systematic that's gone wrong and is he the person to suddenly change that around? I would have to say, hand on heart, no, it's too much of an ask now.'
Fellow pundit Alan Smith said that Van Gaal's claims that expectations were too high might be difficult for fans to swallow.
When asked if after spending £240million it was acceptable to say the side were in transition, Smith said: 'You would expect that maybe in his first year not in his second with the amount of money that he has spent, that we all know he's spent.
'He has played it down like that as if they're just another club... I mean, what are they the second, third richest club in the world? I think that's hard for the fans to hear.'
