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Louis van Gaal has issued a damning indictment of his Old Trafford reign – admitting teams no longer fear Manchester United.

Ahead of Monday’s FA Cup fifth round tie with Shrewsbury there is genuine anxiety within the club that they could be on the end of another humbling defeat.

Following back-to-back losses against relegation-threatened Sunderland and Danish minnows Midtjylland – another defeat would push Van Gaal closer to the exit.

And the Dutchman summed up the deep-rooted problems within his squad when conceding United have lost their fear-factor.

“When you see the last two games it is maybe like that,” he said. “But then we have to make them fear again.

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“I have said already to the players because you cannot continue with losing games and the question is how we are lifting ourselves.

“Shrewsbury Town shall fight also for the second balls and play direct and that kind of thing and you have to cope with that.”

The 2-1 Europa League defeat was possibly Van Gaal’s lowest ebb in his one and a half seasons at United.

It speaks volumes of just how poor his side were that even he had to admit it would offer encouragement to their opponents from League One in the Cup.

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Asked if he thought Shrewsbury would consider the task of a potential giant-killing easier in light of United’s latest defeat, the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager said: “Maybe. I hope so because then it’s a benefit for us.”

Shrewsbury represent the start of a potentially pivotal week for Van Gaal as the pressure on him increases.

Jose Mourinho’s revelation that clubs have expressed an interest in him since his departure from Chelsea before Christmas could force United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward into action.

(Image: 2015 Getty Images)

Should Van Gaal crash out of the Cup and Europa League this week, as well as suffer defeat at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, his fate will almost certainly be sealed.

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For now though, he is still talking about turning his and the club’s fortunes around.

“We lost the first match in the Premier League against Swansea City, when I came,” he said. “But then still we had a very good home record last season and we can do that again. It is a question of winning matches in a row.”

On United’s chances in the Cup, he added: “It is a question of you have to see every match as a match and that you have to win.

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“On Monday we have to win and when we win we are in the next round. We are capable to win the FA Cup because we have also won against Swansea City at home or Watford away. We have played Chelsea away.

“It is always possible.”