Manchester United are a club in crisis… key players are past their best, Louis van Gaal gambles on team selection and Wayne Rooney’s form continues to cause concern

Manchester United lost 2-1 to Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday
Louis van Gaal’s side have slipped out of the Premier League top four
Here, we assess where it is going wrong for the under fire Dutch boss

Published:
19:28 GMT, 19 December 2015

|
Updated:
08:12 GMT, 20 December 2015

View
comments

Manchester United’s run without a win extended to six games on Saturday as Louis van Gaal’s side were beaten at Old Trafford by lowly Norwich.

Back-to-back Premier League defeats have seen the Red Devils surrender their spot in the top four and heat is turning up on the Dutch manager.

Here, Sportsmail assess where it is going wrong for the former Holland boss with the club gripped by crisis.

Manchester United players trudge off the Old Trafford pitch after suffering a humiliating 2-1 defeat by Norwich

Louis van Gaal is under mounting pressure in the United hotseat with Jose Mourinho being touted for his job

TOO YOUNG… OR TOO OLD

United’s key players are mostly past their best – Michael Carrick, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wayne Rooney – or not yet at their peak; Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial.

Those players who cost a lot of money and should be in their prime, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera, for example were left on the bench.

United fans screaming for Herrera’s introduction and giving him an ovation as if he were Eric Cantona reborn shows how desperate they are.

Manchester United have too many key players past their best, like England midfielder Michael Carrick (centre)

By contrast players like Anthony Martial are inexperienced and are yet to reach their peak

GAMBLER VAN GAAL

Wayne Rooney is a midfielder one week, a No 10 the next, a centre-forward the next. Marouane Fellaini was hailed as a striker last season by LVG, now he considers the Belgian a midfielder.

Ashley Young has been tried out as a right-back, left-back, right-winger, left-winger.

There is no stability or consistency in selection. Van Gaal looks like a reckless Vegas gambler, rolling the dice and hoping he hits double-six

Van Gaal rolls the dice with his team selections and there is no consistency or stability

CAPTAIN COCK-UP

Van Gaal said all last season his captain always plays. Rooney is his captain but his form this season has been so poor, even the manager is having to go back on his earlier philosophy and say he’s got to be picked on merit now.

Rooney can’t be blamed for United’s previous three winless games – he was injured – but his lack of mobility was obvious against Norwich in his 500th first-team appearance.

United will have to decide seriously what to do with their highest-paid player; is he part of their long-term future and, if so, where. He can not be the team leader if he doesn’t deserve to be in the side, football doesn’t work like that.