Manchester United Chief Asks Senior Players About Louis Van Gaal

Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has spoken to a number of players and senior figures at Old Trafford about Louis van Gaal, following their defeat to Southampton.

Van Gaal has travelled to the Netherlands to celebrate his daughter's birthday and is not due to return to the UK until Tuesday, when he is expected to take training at Carrington as normal and in Van Gaal's absence, Woodward has held talks with senior members of the first-team squad to discuss the team's recent performances. United lost for the ninth time this season thanks to Charlie Austin's late goal for the visitors which left them 10 points behind leaders Leicester.

Already out of the Champions League, United are five points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham and lagging behind in their attempts to reach next season's competition. The weekend meeting with Southampton saw United fail to win for the 18th time in 34 competitive matches this season. 10 of their last 11 games at Old Trafford have been 0-0 at half-time and they have scored only two first-half goals in the Premier League since last summer.

Fans have become disappointed with the team's playing style, calling for more emphasis on attack while Van Gaal has adopted a more defensive approach. The club has also yet to win a trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, despite Van Gaal spending almost £250m in the last 18 months.