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Louis van Gaal has admitted he must start winning to survive at Manchester United – despite having a mandate to rebuild the team.

Van Gaal has yet to win a game this season, picking up a solitary point from his first two Premier League games and suffering a humiliating 4-0 Capital One Cup defeat to League One MK Dons.

Although there is no question of Van Gaal’s position being called into question so early in his tenure, the Dutchman acknowledged that he must start producing results quickly.

Angel Di Maria, bought from Real Madrid for £59.7million, will make his debut at Burnley today. His fee is £15m more than Burnley have spent on players in total in their 132-year history.

And Van Gaal will hope British football’s most expensive signing can provide the spark to kick-start his United reign.

Angel Di Maria's fee in context (£, millions) Various sources

“You have to survive as a trainer, as a coach, as a manager,” he said.

“You have to survive because, nowadays, the fans are asking for results and that is the question – can I receive enough time to do all the steps we have to do?

“But we can still be the champions in England now, in my first year. Maybe you shall laugh, but also in my former clubs I have started like this, so for me it’s not big news or different.

“You don’t have to think that I’m playing a role. I am ­confident, because everywhere I have been before I have showed it. That’s why. Not because of other things.

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“I don’t believe it won’t work at Manchester United. I believe that, at the end of the process, I think everybody will be happy I was here.”

Asked if the ­United overhaul was the biggest ­challenge of a glittering coaching career that has taken in spells at Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AZ Alkmaar and Holland, Van Gaal was reticent.

“I would never compare jobs because, when I started with the Dutch national team, for example, no one believed we could qualify for the World Cup,” he said.

“After that, they said we wouldn’t have any chance to get through the first group at the World Cup, and after that, they said we’d lose against every opponent. In the end, we finished third.

“You cannot compare this to Bayern or Barcelona – they are different cultures. AZ, too. They are a minor club, but at the end they were the champions of the ­Netherlands. So every challenge is a ­challenge and you cannot compare them.”

Saturday's game at Burnley marks a return for Van Gaal, who took his Ajax team there in 1992 for a friendly.

“It’s a long time ago but, yes, I was there and we won,” he added.

“Ajax won the UEFA Cup in the first year, in the second year we only won the Dutch Cup, but it was a step in the process.”

Under Van Gaal, Ajax went on to win the Champions League and everything else before them. United fans must hope Turf Moor can provide a similar springboard for their ailing team today.

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