• Dutchman not overly concerned if he is booed at Stoke City game • Van Gaal: ‘I’m an intelligent man and I cannot predict the atmosphere’

Louis van Gaal is braced for another hostile reception at Old Trafford on Tuesday when Manchester United face Stoke City in the Premier League, with the manager admitting his players will have no excuses should they fail to perform.

United’s 3-1 defeat of Derby County eased some of the pressure on Van Gaal’s position as the club progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup. The victory on Friday night meant United bounced back instantly from their previous 1-0 reverse to Southampton. The dismal manner of that defeat at home sparked fury among fans inside Old Trafford who jeered Van Gaal during the game and at final whistle.

Louis van Gaal looks forward to bottle of wine after win over Derby Read more

Despite the Cup win at the iPro Stadium, Van Gaal is unsure of the reception that awaits him on Tuesday though he says he is not overly concerned if supporters boo him again. The manager believes it is more important that the crowd are firmly behind his players as United try to move up Premier League from their current position of fifth, five points off a Champions League place.

“I’m not a stupid man,” Van Gaal said. “I’m an intelligent man and I cannot predict the atmosphere on Tuesday. I hope that we can give the same level of performance as against Derby but we have to play Stoke, another opponent. I’m always honest. That wasn’t an exception [the reaction during the Saints game] but OK.

“It’s not important that they yell at me. It’s more that they are supporting the players, that’s the most important thing. The players have the most difficult task. They have to give a result at that hour with that resistance [of Stoke]. There are no excuses. They have to support – the fans.

“When I’m not so popular, then OK. It’s also not the first time that it’s happened with me but I can survive. They supported us fantastically against Derby. I have heard more the fans of United than of Derby. We are the away team. It’s also fantastic that there is such a big part coming to see ‘boring’ Manchester United.”

On Boxing Day Stoke beat United 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium, a result that left Van Gaal’s job in the balance, before he survived following the goalless draw with Chelsea two days later. On facing Mark Hughes’s side again, the 64-year-old said: “I like how Stoke play very much. I saw them play this week and they were very good. I think they deserved to win [against Liverpool] but they didn’t. That’s football. You can lose. They are in good shape, good form. They are a team that every club in the Premier League has a lot of difficulties with.”

Van Gaal was pleased with Michael Carrick’s substitute appearance on Friday following injury. “He could only play 20 minutes and I wanted to give that 20 to him because we need him. He did very good. I have no complaints,” he said.