When Louis van Gaal was unveiled last summer, what position did you imagine Manchester United would be in going into the final 10 games?

If you envisaged them leading the title race, you would have been kidding yourself. There was never any chance of United finishing in front of Chelsea and Manchester City this season, not even after they spent £150.2million on new players and recruited a coach with a distinguished reputation.

Yet given the way some people are talking about United at the moment, there seems to be disappointment and mystification that Van Gaal’s team are in the middle of a fight to get into the top four and not perched in top spot, setting an unrelenting pace.

Louis van Gaal has had a difficult start to his career as Manchester United manager, but must be given time

United needed an 89th-minute strike from Ashley Young to earn victory against Newcastle on Wednesday

The United players celebrate Young's last gasp winner during the Premier League clash at St James' Park

The Red Devils boss gave a tetchy press conference ahead of Monday's FA Cup clash with Arsenal

They finished seventh last season and needed to make big improvements but the way it is being made out, you would think they were the only club who bought big when nothing could have been further from the truth. Van Gaal isn’t the only manager to get financial assistance.

Manchester City won the title, then spent £88m on new players. Liverpool finished second, then invested £114.8m. Chelsea have sold well but have paid out £112.8m since last year. Arsenal’s outlay for the same period has been £95m. United’s spending shouldn’t come into arguments.

On the opening weekend in August, I said as we welcomed Van Gaal into the Barclays Premier League it was ‘time to say goodbye to the Manchester United we have known for a lifetime’ but, eight months on, it seems as if there is an unwillingness in some quarters to accept the change.

It’s something I’ve experienced. When Gerard Houllier became Liverpool’s first foreign manager, some former players would not warm to his approach, referred to him disrespectfully as ‘the Frenchman’ and moaned we were not playing ‘the Liverpool way’.

Caretaker boss Ryan Giggs (centre) took over after David Moyes as United finished seventh last season

Van Gaal seemed aggravated after Sam Allardyce claimed the Dutchman had deployed long-ball tactics

United spent a combined transfer fee of £150.2million in the summer with Angel di Maria costing £60m

Manuel Pellegrini's City side won the 2013-14 Premier League title and invested £88million on new players

Loan signing Radamel Falcao has struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, scoring just four goals

Former Real Madrid star Di Maria made a promising start, but has hit a dip in form in recent months

I keep hearing similar criticisms of Van Gaal, how his team do not play ‘the United way’ and regular accusations that they have been lucky. But he keeps getting results.

If Chelsea grind out a victory, Jose Mourinho gets praised, so when United do the same, why doesn’t Van Gaal?

People can’t keep talking about how United used to play under Sir Alex Ferguson. Maybe a British manager would have understood the emotion and traditions of what was expected but Van Gaal, with his c.v and ego, was always going to do it his way.

Besides, there are only two clubs in world football that I can think of where the brand of football, formation and philosophy will never change and they are Barcelona and Ajax. Coaches are picked on their suitability for the respective clubs, rather than the success they have had elsewhere.

A couple of years ago, when I visited Bayern Munich, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge gave me an insight into what Van Gaal was like to deal with as a manager, describing him as very single-minded and a man with his own ideas on how things should be done.

Gerard Houllier (right) became Liverpool's first foreign manager and was resented by some players

United have often had to rely on late goals, including Daley Blind's 90th-minute strike against West Ham

Unlike Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho is usually praised when Chelsea grind out a victory in the Premier League

Van Gaal, with his CV and ego, was always going to do it his way after taking over in the summer

So what we are seeing — slower possession and the readiness to go more direct to Marouane Fellaini — is not transition.

This is now United’s style and, so far, it has got them into a position that is just about where they should be — and on course to achieve the remit Van Gaal was given.

Could it be this style is assisting United’s defending? Don’t forget, the more you have the ball, the less defending you have to do. When teams have got beyond United, they are confronted by David de Gea. It is a reason why they have the third best goals-against record (26) in the division.

That is what is keeping them in the thick of the Champions League race and, while there is nothing flash about the way they are playing, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to write them off, particularly after a run of two defeats in 21 matches.

The Old Trafford club have David de Gea's form to thank for the third-best goals-against record in the league

Newcastle's Emmanuel Riviere (right) is thwarted by De Gea during United's 1-0 win on Wednesday

Despite the criticism, Van Gaal's side have been beaten just twice in their last 21 matches

True, they have a number of difficult tests in the next few weeks, with trips to Anfield and Stamford Bridge looming, as well as home games with Manchester City and Arsenal. They have done well in these fixtures so far, winning at the Emirates, beating Liverpool and drawing with Chelsea.

There is also the FA Cup quarter-final against Arsene Wenger’s men on Monday, which could be crucial to helping them achieve their aim.

The FA Cup will be second on Van Gaal’s priority list but if he was able to deliver silverware, as well as steering United into the top four, it would provide everyone around the club — players, supporters, directors — with huge belief going forward.

We all know the 1990 FA Cup was the competition that transformed Ferguson’s tenure and, while the stakes are not so high for Van Gaal going into Monday, there is still a considerable amount riding on the outcome.

Van Gaal gestures during the FA Cup fourth round replay between United and Cambridge

Wayne Rooney has managed to score 11 Premier League goals despite playing in a deeper midfield role

United's 1990 FA Cup win transformed Sir Alex Ferguson's (seen here celebrating with Bryan Robson) tenure

Van Gaal is a manager who doesn’t tend to last longer than three years in jobs, given the intense way he works and how he is with his players, so he might not have too many opportunities to get his hands on that particular trophy, which United have not won since 2004.

A couple of months ago, I said Van Gaal was lucky not to be getting the negative press that came David Moyes’s way, even though their results were similar, but he had made his own luck by virtue of his impressive c.v and the reputation he has within the game.

There was also a key difference. Moyes had taken over the champions; Van Gaal had come into a club that finished 15 points off fourth place. He was almost starting again. Next year, it will be different, as his remit will be to challenge for the title, given that United will reinforce their squad again.

If they are in this position in 12 months, then I will understand any criticism aimed at Van Gaal. But if he leads them into the Champions League, he will have achieved his aim for the season. If adds the FA Cup, his first year in Manchester will be a big success.

Moyes (pictured) found it difficult at United, but he had the unenviable task of following Ferguson

Marouane Fellaini celebrates scoring during United's 3-1 FA Cup fifth round victory against Preston

I'D RATHER BE SPAT AT THAN HAVE A BROKEN LEG!

The issue of spitting, sadly, has emerged again this week with Jonny Evans and Papiss Cisse both being condemned.

As usual, there have been a number of people who have said 'it is the worst thing that can happen on a pitch'; it is vile but let me assure you now – I would have preferred Lucas Neill to have spat at me the day he broke my leg in September 2003!

I was spat at once in my career. It came during a UEFA Cup game against Celta Vigo in 1998 and the player in question was a Russian midfielder called Aleksander Mostovoi. I was shocked more than angry when he did it because I couldn’t believe what had happened.

United defender Jonny Evans (left) and Papiss Cisse have been charged with spitting during the game

Evans and Cisse were both caught on camera appearing to spit at each other on Wednesday night

Cisse has admitted being in the wrong and hit with a seven-game ban. I know it is a disgusting thing to do but I do think that punishment seems a little excessive, particularly if you compare it to an over-the-top tackle that would ‘only’ get three games.

For Evans, the incident doesn’t look good at all. It would have been easy enough for him to spit well away from Cisse.

One final thing: all those people who have said about Evans 'he’s not that type of lad'. Who is then? Is there are a list somewhere of names who are 'that type'? It is a stupid thing to say. It’s not about his character. It’s about whether he had a moment of madness, deliberately or not.

Lucas Neill (fourth left) is shown a red card for a horror challenge which broke Jamie Carragher's leg

THIS WEEK I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO... A BIG SUNDAY AT THE END OF THE MONTH

I will be pulling my boots back on once more at Anfield on March 29 for an all-star game that will benefit Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and many other charities in the city of Liverpool.

It all came about after Steven Gerrard spoke to Liverpool and the idea of staging a charity game as a 'thank you' to the city before he leaves for LA Galaxy, so it is fantastic that the club agreed to it.

There is a lot of interest in the game already and it will be great to come up against some of the great players Stevie has either had as team-mates or played against during his career.

Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Dirk Kuyt and Pepe Reina are just a few of the players who have confirmed they will be involved. Hopefully it will be a special day.

Steven Gerrard has worked with the Liverpool FC Foundation to organise a charity match on March 29

Fernando Torres (left) and Luis Suarez will join a host of stars as Anfield prepares for Gerrard's exit