Manchester United's manager Louis van Gaal takes to the touchline before the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Manchester United and Sheffield United at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday Jan. 9, 2016 (AP)
Under-fire Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes numbers at the Old Trafford turnstiles are proof of fans' faith despite a mass exodus from the stands before the final whistle in their last outing.
Thousands of fans had already left their seats before Wayne Rooney converted a penalty deep into injury time of United's dull 1-0 win over Sheffield United in the FA Cup at the weekend.
But the Dutch manager insisted ahead of a trip to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday that bums on seats prove his side are still an attractive prospect.
"How many stadiums were like our stadium, full?," asked Van Gaal on Monday.
"You can mention how they leave, but you can also mention how they come to the stadium to watch this FA Cup match.
"You have to be happy as a Manchester United fan that we are in next round and we have won the last two games."
Fans booed the side off at half-time and United failed to deliver a shot on target before the 69th minute.
Patience has been wearing thin among fans even if United have won their last two games after ending an eight-game winless streak.
"Maybe (fans left) also because of the traffic. That is why they leave the stadium a few minutes early," the Dutchman insisted.
Van Gaal's hopes of registering a third win in succession took a blow with injury to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who will miss Tuesday's game at Newcastle because of a knee injury he suffered in the dying stages of Saturday's game.
Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia are all unavailable because of long-term injuries while Phil Jones is likely to miss out, but Ashley Young, Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick should all be fit.
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