Manchester United fans must live in the present, says Louis van Gaal

Louis van Gaal believes people are “living in the past” if they think Manchester United and Liverpool are above Europe’s second-tier competition.

The Europa League last-16 has thrown up a mouth-watering first continental clash between the north-west rivals, but the fact they are going toe-to-toe in this competition only underlines how far the most successful clubs in English football history have fallen recently.

United and Liverpool have won 20 and 18 league titles, respectively, along with a combined eight European Cups - a history of success Van Gaal believes came during a bygone era.