Friday 22 April 2016 07:11, UK
Louis van Gaal is delighted to have a largely fit and healthy Manchester United squad ahead of this Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Everton, but admits he will have to tell a number of his players that they are surplus to requirements for the tea-time fixture at Wembley.
Bastian Schweinsteiger will miss the remainder of the season, while Luke Shaw is yet to reach full fitness following his recovery from a broken leg.
Otherwise, the United manager will have a sizeable first team squad to choose from, as the Red Devils prepare to face the Toffees in the capital.
The Dutchman said: "Everyone wants to play in a semi-final. I must select 18 players and I have 24 who are fit, so I have to disappoint six of them."
And Van Gaal refuses to differentiate between United's dual ambitions in the FA Cup and Premier League, in which they are still chasing a Champions League berth next season.
Asked about his preference, Van Gaal added: "It is not for me to judge. I have said this already. I do my utmost best. We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and are in the race for the fourth position and that was our aim."
He also believes a good squad should combine experience with youth: "[The younger players] are always a stimulus in the group and that is very important.
"I think also that you have to have a mix of older and younger players in your team.
"When I was at Bayern, it was [Thomas] Muller, at Barcelona it was Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta. I have lots of examples."
He also defended his decision to experiment by playing younger players in different positions. One such example is Dutch teenager Timothy Fosu-Mensah whose favourite spot is central defence but against West Ham last week started at right-back.
Van Gaal went on: "It is dependable on vacancies in your squad. Players in my squad are playing in different positions than what they are used to in their former careers.
"When there is a vacancy and you think a young player has the quality to play there, you give him the chance and he takes it.
"You can ask Bastian Schweinsteiger who, at Bayern Munich, played on the right side. I made him a centre midfielder because I looked at his profile and I thought he can better play in the middle and he enjoys it more."
