Communication key for United

LOUIS van Gaal admits West Ham striker Andy Carroll could run riot in tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter–final replay if his Manchester United defence does’nt improve.

Carroll scored a brilliant hat–trick against Arsenal on Saturday. The 6ft 3in forward’s performance has pushed him back into the reckoning for England’s Euro 2016 squad this summer and he will be confident of capitalising again against United.

The 3-0 defeat by Tottenham at the weekend saw the Reds concede three times in six minutes, and Van Gaal is aware a similar display could spell the end of his team’s FA Cup hopes.

“I’ve seen the Andy Carroll show against Arsenal and I think our problem against Tottenham was also the miscommunication of our central defenders,” Van Gaal said. “I hope that we improve our communication because this is a very important game for us.”

Sunday’s loss means United trail Manchester City by four points in the race for the Champions League, while their hopes of silverware now rest solely on the FA Cup.



WAYNE Rooney played 60 minutes for United’s under-21s last night as he continues his recovery from injury.