Van Gaal urges Man United players to “be horny!”

LVG is up against the ropes. Image: Guardian

Ahead of Thursday's Europa League second-leg clash with Midtjylland, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has issued a bizarre rallying cry to his troops in the hope salvaging their dismal season thus far....


The Red Devils, on a three-game mandate to save the coach's job, go into the clash with a 2-1 deficit to overturn and the embattled Dutch manager has called on a repeat performance that saw his side eliminate Shrewsbury from the FA Cup on Monday.

Asked by reporters whether his side needed to match the Danes' desire, he said: "You are right, your word is fantastic: Desire. Also, 'hungry' and a lot of times I use the word 'horny'."

"You hope that it is like that," he said. "They showed it against Shrewsbury Town also. Players and managers want to fight for the victory, but players are human beings. You also are not always in the same shape or form.

Rooney joins United's injury list. Image: Mirror

The task is a bit tricky though as United have a lengthy injury list still to compete with, with both David de Gea and Chris Smalling ruled out of the tie while Antonio Valencia and Adnan Januzaj remain out despite returning to training.

"It's the second day after a match, so I cannot say [the exact injuries] because we shall do everything to recover the players.

"Valencia is not ready to play, Januzaj also. [Marcos] Rojo maybe, but that is dependable on other players. I was hoping for [De Gea and Smalling to feature], but they shall not be involved. That is certain."

Van Gaal has said wining the Europa League is United's surest bet of returning to the Champions League next season following a poor Premier League campaign.