Louis van Gaal has revealed United’s board have set him the target of finishing in the top four this season – but the Dutchman says his sights are set a little higher.

United missed out on a place in the Champions League for the first time since 1995 last season as David Moyes presided over a disastrous season.

Van Gaal says executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the Glazers have indicated his task this season is to get the club back into Europe’s elite club competition.

But, sitting third in the table within touching distance of Manchester City and Chelsea, he hasn’t given up hope of finishing the season as a Premier League champion.

Van Gaal said: “The best achievement is to be champions because our goal is still to be champions at the end of the season, that’s also the best result.

“We are looking in a football world where No.1 is the most important thing.

“Our goal is to be first. But it’s not always so easy, you can see that.

“That’s why the board have said that our goal is within the first four places. But with my players and all the staff, we are trying to achieve more than they expect from us.”

United’s trip to Stoke City on New Year’s day will mark the halfway point of the season. Before then, Van Gaal’s side play Newcastle at home today and away at Tottenham on December 28 as they try to make up ground on leaders Chelsea.

Jose Mourinho’s side ensured they were top on Christmas Day with a 2-0 win at Stoke on Monday.

Van Gaal admits being top at Christmas is an advantage in any title race. But the 63-year-old – who has won championships in Holland, Spain and Germany – insists he would rather be top in May than in December.

He added: “In the Netherlands and also in Germany you have the Christmas champions but that doesn’t count at the end of May or June, that’s when you have to be first.

“In Holland and Germany we have a Christmas champion. PSV and Bayern Munich are the Christmas champions.

“It’s better to be the Christmas champions then the possibility you shall be next champion is bigger, but not certain.”

If United are to win a record 21st title, they’ll first have to overhaul Chelsea’s 10-point advantage at the top.

The Reds face Newcastle, the only team to beat Chelsea in the Premier League this season, at Old Trafford this afternoon in what Van Gaal admits is a clash of managerial styles.

Van Gaal, who has rarely ventured out of his dugout this season, will come up against Alan Pardew, who has a lengthy rap sheet for touchline bust-ups.

The Newcastle manager was forced to apologise last season after television cameras picked up an expletive-laden rant at City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

In 2012 he was given a two-game touchline ban and fined £20,000 for pushing linesman Peter Kirkup after he failed to award a throw-in during Newcastle’s game with Tottenham.

And last season he was hit with a seven-game ban for head-butting Hull midfielder David Meyler.

Van Gaal, however, will continue to keep quiet during games because he says he can’t influence games from his technical area.

He said: “I don’t see any influence from me when I am there shouting.

“They are not understanding you. Maybe one individual player. When you change one individual position that has also an influence on other positions.

“So I have trained the whole week that players read the situations. Sometimes they can’t read that but then you have half-time or you have a change.

“Then you can say to the player who is coming onto the pitch how they have to play in their positions. You have to transfer that.

“With the fans in the Premier League shouting so much, the players can’t understand you.

“That’s why I’m always on the bench. You have trained the players to read the game by themselves. It is much more important that they are more involved with the game, that they make their own decisions. It is like a child, you educate.

“I don’t have the idea that you can influence a game by shouting from the sidelines. Sometimes I’m doing that but that’s more emotional than the content is being heard by the players.”

Van Gaal isn’t even tempted to try to influence referees in the way Sir Alex Ferguson became famous for, instead taking a more laid-back approach. A trait, Van Gaal says, that has come with experience.

He added: “I don’t think I can influence the referee, no. When I was in my first year I did everything. But I learned to be more quiet.

“You think the referee is looking at Ferguson? On television you can see that because every television station is recording the manager.

“But the referee is not looking at the television. Maybe after the match, but then he can’t change anything any more.”

Instead, Van Gaal insists he prefers to do his talking during the 15-minute half-time break.

He revealed he keeps a detailed account of the game so he can pass his observations on to the players.

He added: “(I write) for half-time. I can say the things that I am willing to say that can influence the match. Then the sequence is always the right way because the players remember the moments of the game in sequence. It’s more efficient then.

“Sometimes players can’t read the match, it’s not their quality. I have players who can read the match very well but there are others who cannot read the match for the team; for themselves they can read the match but for the team it is more difficult.

“So sometimes it’s necessary but I say you cannot influence during a match because of the loudness of the fans.”