Louis van Gaal believes Wayne Rooney’s desire to win the FA Cup can drive Manchester United to the trophy for the first time since 2004. United entertain Arsenal this evening for a place in the semi-finals.

Rooney has yet to taste FA Cup success – he signed for United in the summer of 2004 following the club’s last triumph, a 3-0 victory over Millwall. Tonight’s sixth-round tie is a repeat of the 2005 final, which Arsenal won on penalties.

Rooney is the sole survivor from the game who will feature at Old Trafford and, asked how determined the forward is to win, Van Gaal said: “He is very motivated as a captain and a player and he wants to win a title and he has not won the FA Cup.”

Rooney has won five Premier Leagues, two League Cups and a European Cup. Yet despite this list of successes Van Gaal is sure that he is desperate to add the FA Cup to his collection of major honours.

“That is something that is missing. My first championship with Ajax was very important for me, it was also an emotional thing,” the manager said of winning the 1993-94 Eredivisie, before pointing to how Rooney’s hunger led to Ashley Young’s late winner at Newcastle United in the club’s previous match. “You have seen how he was motivated in the last minute of the game. You saw him running and pressing for a lost ball and that was fantastic. Every human being has his own identity and character and this is Wayne’s character and he has also picked up red cards because of that character, but against Newcastle it was fantastic.”

As this is Van Gaal’s first campaign with United he is clear on how vital winning a trophy can be for the side’s development. “You can say you play for your profession but that is not enough, you want to win something,” the 63-year-old said. “The players want to win something and also the manager and also the fans. When you win a title like the FA Cup, which in England is very important, when you fight for something and you get it, you are pleased and that is why José Mourinho is saying that [about Chelsea’s League Cup win].

“When you compare coaches with one another, titles are very important. When a player wins they have already the experience of winning a final – there are a lot of positive things.”

Van Gaal has been heartened by United’s never-say-die spirit. “We have showed a lot of times that we have been coming back in the last minute, even when we are behind,” he said. “We scored out of nothing [against Newcastle] because the ball was already lost but because of Wayne’s spirit he made it very difficult for his opponent. We have shown a fantastic fight and I am very proud of our players.”