Christmas fixture list adds insult to injuries for Van Gaal

Manchester United 3 Hull City 0

The fact he is not lies not only in the fact that family man Van Gaal would prefer to spend the holiday period with his loved ones but also in an alarming injury list which added two more players to its ranks in this routine victory over pitiful Hull.

Angel di Maria limped off with a hamstring pull less than a quarter of an hour into the game while Wayne Rooney took hard knocks to the calf and knee from which he should recover in time for tomorrow’s visit of Stoke to Old Trafford.