Saturday 18 July 2015 10:11, UK
Louis van Gaal says David de Gea was left out of Manchester United’s pre-season win over Club America because he was injured.
Reserve goalkeepers Anders Lindegaard and Sam Johnstone played 45 minutes each in Saturday’s International Champions Cup clash as speculation continues to mount over the future of the club's first-choice No 1.
Sky Sports News HQ understands that Manchester United are resigned to losing De Gea, if not this summer then next, but Van Gaal insists he was left out due to a knock picked up in training.
He also explained Antonio Valencia had a small injury and Marouanne Fellaini, who was sent off against Hull on the final day of the season, was rested.
Van Gaal said: “De Gea and Valenica were injured with minor injuries. We cannot take any risks in the preparation.
“Fellaini is suspended for the first three matches so he has a longer time to prepare himself and I need to see other players.”
Morgan Schneiderlin scored the only goal of the game five minutes into his Manchester United debut, while Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger all featured.
But Van Gaal said he was not happy about the state of the pitch at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field, where a One Direction concert was held just 48 hours before the game.
“The pitch was not good. It was difficult,” he added.
“The first surface is artificial with natural grass over it. It was always moving so you have seen that a lot of players were [slipping].
“It was not so easy and also you can get more and more injuries.”
