Saha: Manchester United players happy under Van Gaal

EXCLUSIVE: After a torrid start to his Manchester United tenure, the new manager has masterminded five wins on the trot to lift the mood ahead of facing rivals Liverpool on Sunday

Louis Saha is confident Louis van Gaal's methods are starting to bear fruit at Manchester United after a poor start to the season.

The former Netherlands manager endured a tough introduction to life at Old Trafford, winning just one of his opening five Premier League matches and suffering a humiliating 4-0 loss to MK Dons in the League Cup.

However, United have won their last five games on the trot to move up to third in the league table and close the gap on leaders Chelsea to eight points, and Saha has praised Van Gaal’s management following a string of big-name and big-money signings during the summer.

"The players are happy with the way he has set up the side, with his man-management," he told Goal.

"That's very important as United are not an academy side any more. Every time Van Gaal chooses a team he has to leave out established internationals. That also means it can be hard for such players to learn a new system; it's all about time and the results are more convincing now."

Saha highlighted the improvements of Marouane Fellaini, who struggled to make an impact after being signed by David Moyes last season, comparing Van Gaal’s influence to that of Sir Alex Ferguson on the likes of Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea.

He continued: "You can tell that Van Gaal's approach is working now. Look at Fellaini - everyone was very hard on him when he first arrived but now he's turning into a key part of midfield. He's proving himself as the quality player he can be.

"Players are starting to fulfil their potential under Van Gaal, like they did under Alex Ferguson. He made players like Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea play at 120% of their potential. This is the key."