• Van Gaal says he is missing a Sergio Agüero, Eden Hazard or Lionel Messi • ‘Ashley Young had a fantastic season but he is not a Neymar’

Louis van Gaal believes more attacking players are required if Manchester United are to compete with teams such as Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

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Van Gaal is concerned about United being more creative and showing greater “vision” when moving forward. The manager has spent £230m since he took charge last summer. Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian have been added in this transfer window at a cost of £77m.

While Van Gaal is confident all have improved the squad only Depay operates in an advanced position. Van Gaal cited Manchester City’s Sergio Agüero, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Barça’s Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi and Neymar to indicate the level of quality United are competing against.

When asked if after 12 months this is now his team, Van Gaal said: “No, because we have to look for more balance, for more creativity. For example, Chelsea have Hazard, Willian and Oscar. There is a lot of creativity there. And you need that because you have to disorganise [the teams who park] the bus. Next year there might be more teams who are parking the bus.”

Van Gaal’s attackers are Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Ashley Young, Depay, Adnan Januzaj, Ander Herrera, Javier Hernández and James Wilson. He also has Ángel Di María but the Argentinian’s absence from the tour of America suggests he could depart for Paris Saint-Germain.

“We don’t have a good vision. We can use much more creativity,” said Van Gaal before offering a comparison between Young and Neymar to illustrate his view. “Young had a fantastic season but he is not a Neymar and we have to compete with that kind of class.”

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Van Gaal believes this difference was apparent when United lost 1-0 at Chelsea in April. “I’m thinking at that time, they have Hazard, he can always make goals, he can always make an action and decide a goal. Manchester City have Agüero, it’s the same type. Barcelona has Messi, Neymar and Suárez. We as Manchester United have to compete with these clubs. So we have to look also for that kind of players.

“When it is possible to buy for a reasonable price players from that level we shall do that. So with Schneiderlin, with Schweinsteiger, with Depay, with Darmian we are better than last year. But we have to be much more better and I say to you that is the creativity of my players in the front.”

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has the quality. Can Van Gaal see him ever returning to Old Trafford. “He may come but it is not possible. Why not? Because you have the club, Ronaldo and then you have Manchester United and how much Manchester United want to spend.”

Last season’s poor start cost United materially – 13 points after 10 Premier League matches was the return and they finished 17 behind the champions, Chelsea. United lost their first game to Swansea City and Van Gaal has stressed the importance of this season’s opening match. “I say to the boys: ‘Tottenham Hotspur that is the most important.’”

His determination to improve United’s attacking options was indicated by allowing Robin van Persie to leave. The manager said the numbers the striker returned meant he had to go.

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“You have to oversee all the aspects,” Van Gaal said. “People have written that Van Persie is my favourite player and that I protect him and yes maybe I have done that. In the end you always have to evaluate which players have contributed to our fourth place, which players a little bit and which players no contribution and then you make decisions but you make decisions on facts and not on other things.”

Van Gaal, who has two years left on his contract, would consider extending his stay at United. “I have already said to my wife it might be that we extend in Manchester,” he said. “But normally I have said to my wife that after 55 years I quit. And I am still in business and in two weeks time I will be 64. I can walk away from it.

“I have already taken two sabbaticals in my career. They were not for a year on either occasions but it was very nice. And it was not cats and dogs with my wife. And I have a paradise in Portugal. So I can happily walk away from football and do other things.”