Louis van Gaal has bowed to player pressure in an attempt to keep his job at Manchester United.

The beleaguered United boss has agreed to relax the strict regime that has proved so unpopular among his squad following a meeting with senior players Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Chris Smalling and Juan Mata at the start of the week.

Van Gaal still has the support of the players but recognised an urgent need for change after seeing United lose three games in a row. The run has plunged his future at Old Trafford into doubt as he prepares for their Boxing Day trip to Stoke City.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has relaxed some aspects of his management regime in a bid to turn around a dramatic slump in results that have led to speculation over his future at Old Trafford

Dejected Manchester United players pictured during last Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by Norwich City

A frustrated Van Gaal walked out of a press conference on Wednesday ahead of United's visit to Stoke City

A disappointing run of recent results has seen Manchester United slide to fifth in the Premier League table

UNITED'S LAST SIX RESULTS December 19 Norwich (h) 1-2 PL L December 12 Bournemouth (a) 1-2 PL L December 8 Wolfsburg (a) 2-3 CL L December 5 West Ham (h) 0-0 PL D November 28 Leicester (a) 1-1 PL D November 25 PSV Eindhoven (h) 0-0 CL D Advertisement

In return, the 64-year-old Dutchman has challenged his stars to be responsible and show that the less regimented approach is having an effect on the pitch, with United desperate for a first win in seven games.

Following the meeting, Van Gaal agreed to be less rigid in his management style, letting the players have more say in how things are run at the club’s Carrington training base and in the build-up to games.

The new system came into effect on Wednesday and had an immediate impact with the squad allowed to set their own training schedule for Christmas Day.

Instead of coming into Carrington between 1pm and 5pm to prepare for the Stoke game as planned, United’s players trained in the morning and spent the rest of the day with their families before reporting to the Lowry Hotel the night before the game.

The rule change even extends to the canteen with players no longer forced to adhere to strict meal times and conditions. They are not required to eat together as a group like before, with individual players free to have breakfast and lunch when it suits them.

Captain Wayne Rooney was one of the senior players who held talks with Van Gaal after the Norwich loss

Midfielder Juan Mata, seen here with Rooney, was also involved in the meeting with manager Van Gaal

Michael Carrick was also among the group of senior players that persuaded Van Gaal to change his methods

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Also, the unpopular ‘supper club’ culture imposed by Van Gaal, where players were ordered to attend a late night snack in the team hotel after an evening of team meetings, has been relaxed with the supper of cereal and toast now optional.

There have been rumblings about Van Gaal’s authoritarian style since it emerged that Rooney and Carrick went to see the manager in August to warn him that the dressing-room was ‘flat’ as a result of his repetitive training techniques and exhaustive team meetings. The mood has been mirrored in United’s stale performances this season.

As much as the players are unhappy with his approach, however, Van Gaal remains a relatively popular figure among them.

There is certainly no question he has lost the dressing-room or that his players would down tools, as appeared to be the case towards the end of Jose Mourinho’s reign at Chelsea.

There is no suggestion United's players will down tools in the same way Jose Mourinho's did at Chelsea

Despite the recent downturn in results, Van Gaal retains the backing of his squad

On the contrary, it is understood they have been impressed by the way the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach is handling the intense speculation over his future at United, with sources saying it has galvanised the squad at a difficult time.

The players were impressed by his speech calling for unity at the club’s Christmas lunch on Monday, and admired his decision to dramatically walk out of his pre-match press conference after less than five minutes on Wednesday complaining of his treatment at the end hands of the media.