Manchester United dressing room 'full of joy' says van Gaal

Red Devils overcame a mediocre performance to defeat Watford at Old Trafford

Manchester United won their fourth straight by beating Watford 1-0 on a Juan Mata free kick and numerous saves from David de Gea.

Anthony Martial returned from injury to feature as the right winger opposite Memphis, relegating Jesse Lingard to the bench. Matteo Darmian also rejoined the lineup as a substitute, while Timothy Fosu-Mensah received his full debut as center-back.

Despite an average age of 23 for the Manchester United starting squad, the youth players were unable to inject much liveliness coming off the short recovery period after the Arsenal clash. Fatigue, in the physical and mental sense, definitely played a part in the sluggish affair, as the attack looked less lively and the defense more prone to mistakes.

But with Mata’s spectacular curler from just outside the box, the Red Devils secured the three points and gained on the top four. Speaking to MUTV in his post match presser, Louis van Gaal was proud of his team’s will to win:

"“I am very happy for the players because they have fought until the end, and they knew out on the pitch that our competitors were losing. We wanted to win, you have to win against Watford at home, I think, but it was a difficult game because of the wind. It became a physical game and, when you see the size of our opponents compared to us, it’s very difficult for us. We fought until the end and scored a goal, so I am very happy for them.”"

More from Red Devil Armada

Aside from de Gea, none of the players played particularly well, but the group came together and was able to eek out the result by the slimmest of margins. The victory marked the fourth win in a span of nine days, evidence of a massive swing in form after consecutive losses for Manchester United.

Commenting on the recent form and how the involvement of youth players has affected the team’s morale, van Gaal said:

"“We are fighting. In the fight, we can play fantastic matches against Arsenal, and I believe against Midtjylland we also played very well. The win against Shrewsbury Town was the start of the run of victories; I think the youngsters have given us a lot of spirit, and now when you see the dressing room full of joy with all the players laughing, it’s beautiful to see. I think that shall also accelerate the recovery of the players.”"

Though Marcus Rashford was silenced against the Hornets, he, Varela, and Mensah have been bright in the recent fixtures, each contributing in different fashions. The academy players have had a huge impact on keeping Manchester United in the hunt while senior players were sidelined with injuries, and as such deserve the chance to fight for their places when the squad returns to full health.

Manchester United dressing room ‘full of joy’ says van Gaal

By Keegan Anderson | Mar 3, 2016

Red Devils overcame a mediocre performance to defeat Watford at Old Trafford

More from Red Devil Armada