Louis van Gaal confident David De Gea will stay despite missing opening win

ByToby Keel

Updated 08/08/2015 at 15:35 GMT

After guiding his men to a narrow victory on the opening day of the season, Louis van Gaal sounded a confident note about his hopes of keeping David de Gea.

De Gea was left out of the matchday squad, Van Gaal saying before the game that the player's head was not right following the interest from Real Madrid.

But Van Gaal insisted after the game that he believes he can still hang on to the player.

"Of course,” Van Gaal said when asked if he believes De Gea will stay, before explaining his decision to leave him out.

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"It is a position where you need the highest concentration, the highest focus during 90 minutes. When you are in circumstances where David de Gea is, it is difficult to cope with that.

"We have seen that, we have observed him in the matches against Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, and that was not the David de Gea — he felt the same — as last year.

"Of course when the situation has been cleared after the first of September, we look again. But I am very happy Sergio [Romero] did well."

Van Gaal admitted that De Gea's decision is out of his hands.

"I'm not the most important part," he told BT Sport. "That is the player and of course the club who wants to buy him.

"He is our best player and for three years already, has been chosen by the fans so we can not let him go so easily."

Van Gaal was happy to have recorded a victory on the opening day of the season.

"Our pressure was very good, and out of our pressure we scored the only goal, so I think it was a deserved win," he said.

"It was a difficult game with two teams who wanted to press, so every player was on the ball for a small amount of time," he added.

"I liked the performance of [Matteo] Darmian," added the manager, speaking about the Italian defender widely acclaimed the best player on the pitch. "He played a good match in the Spurs half and when the opponents had the ball."

Van Gaal also had praise for goalkeeper Romero, who got the nod despite De Gea, Barcelona legend Victor Valdes and long-term United back-up Anders Lindegaard all being fit and ready to play.

Manchester United's Sergio Romero

Image credit: Reuters

"He kept a clean sheet and made some wonderful saves," said the Dutchman.

Bastian Schweinsteiger came on as a late sub and got booked, and Van Gaal brushed off any nervousness shown by the World Cup winner.

"He has a lot of experience, but he's never had this support, this experience, at Old Trafford."

As for Memphis Depay, Van Gaal said after the match that he'd actually had to tell the new signing to rein in his enthusiasm a little.

"I told Memphis maybe he doesn’t have to play so eager, with too much passion," he said.

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