Manchester United: Louis van Gaal rules out summer exit for key players even without Champions League

Louis van Gaal has ruled out the possibility of top players leaving Manchester United in the summer if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League at the end of this season. The Red Devils are currently in a battle for the final qualification spot for the elite European club competition with neighbours Manchester City and West Ham United, but are four points behind their rivals in the fifth place with just six games to go.

According to the Manchester Evening News, David de Gea and Anthony Martial have been linked with moves away from the club in the summer, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain interested in the duo respectively. The Dutch manager, however, has made it clear that no player will be allowed to leave during the summer transfer window, and that stance is likely to change only if the club sanctions the move and the interested suitor matches the valuation of the player.

Van Gaal, whose future at the club is still unclear, is also confident that United can attract the best players without Champions League due to the high wages on offer from the 20-time English champions compared to their rivals in the league. United are also still in the running to end the season with silverware following their qualification to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over West Ham United in the replay on Wednesday (13 April).

"There is no player who wants to go away, I think. When another club wants to pay the figures that the board of Manchester United demand then it is possible," Van Gaal said, as quoted by Manchester Evening News.

"But that is dependable on the decision of the board if the player can go. I don't think so. But of course you have to ask the players."

"I have said for the club it is much more important that we are ending in fourth spot. For the club it is more important because the Champions League is the highest level. A club like Manchester United has to show its abilities and qualities at the highest level," the Dutch coach added.

"A trophy is, of course, fantastic. And especially the FA Cup because it has been a lot of years that we didn't win this cup."