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Louis van Gaal has suggested he has not had enough talent at his disposal to build a title-winning team at Manchester United.

The Dutchman has spent nearly £300m in the transfer market since taking over at Old Trafford in July 2014 to improve a squad that won the Premier League title be a distance in 2013.

But United have failed to mount a credible challenge under the 64-year-old, finishing fourth last season and sitting fifth in the table with four games of the current campaign remaining.

It has led to calls from some fans for Van Gaal to be replaced this summer, a year before his contract is due to expire.

But Van Gaal, who watched his team book their place in the FA Cup final with a dramatic win over Everton at Wembley on Saturday, insists he’s done the best he can with the players he’s had to work with.

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He said: “I have said everything in advance. We need quick, creative players. I’ve said that, also in the transfer period.

“That’s a tricky remark of me because I have to manage players whose quality is not always what I want. But still we are here, still we are fighting for the fourth place, also we are in the final of the FA Cup.”

Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Stoke on Saturday and Arsenal’s draw with Sunderland on Sunday means United are five points adrift of fourth place with four games remaining.

They play league leaders Leicester at Old Trafford on Sunday knowing anything but a win could put a fatal dent in their hopes of securing Champions League football for next season.

But Van Gaal insists United would be fighting for bigger prizes if he hadn’t had to deal with a crippling injury list.

Luke Shaw, Wayne Rooney and Bastian Schweinsteiger have all missed large chunks of the season. And Van Gaal believes that has been the difference between a title challenge and scrapping for a place in the top four.

He added: “We have played in three competitions, I think we are the team who have played the most matches in this season. We’ve done it with a small group with 14 injuries.

“When everybody was fit, I tell it again, I have said it before. We were first in the league at that time. Then when we had 14 injuries, or the double injuries on the full back positions, I could not solve that problem.

“Schweinsteiger and Shaw are the only ones who are injured now. Schweinsteiger, I have three midfielders in that position with Schweinsteiger, Carrick and Schneiderlin. Shaw, it’s still a problem, is more attacking as a full back than Marcus Rojo.”