Louis van Gaal (left) has received the backing of Arsene Wenger

Arsene Wenger has called for an end to the "disrespectful" speculation over Louis van Gaal's Manchester United future.

A run of three straight defeats, one of which condemned United to Europa League football, has left Van Gaal as short as 1/10 to become the next Premier League manager to leave.

The Dutchman took training as usual on Wednesday ahead of his pre-match news conference - scheduled for 3.30pm - and Sky Sports News HQ understands he will be in charge for United's trip to Stoke on Boxing Day.

Jose Mourinho's agent has spoken publicly about speculation linking his client with Old Trafford, but Wenger believes Van Gaal should be left to get on with the job.

He said: "I do not want to go into a world of speculation. I have personally huge respect for Louis van Gaal and I think what is going on there at the moment is disrespectful.

"This guy has worked for 30 years in football and has delivered unbelievable quality of work. Of course he deserves more time."

Pep Guardiola (left) has been linked with Manuel Pellegrini's Man City job

Both Manchester clubs' managers have been forced to field questions about their positions in recent weeks after Pep Guardiola's decision to leave Bayern Munich next summer brought a fresh round of stories linking him with Manuel Pellegrini's City job.

Wenger said: "Personally I don't like that managers come out so early - it's not necessarily good for their own team or for managers going through a difficult patch.

"[Guardiola] is a top-quality manager, nobody would dispute that. Not so much for what he has won, because Bayern won before and Barcelona still win today, but for the positive attitude he has towards the game."