Manchester United: Louis van Gaal warns players not to take their futures at the club for granted

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has warned all his players that they are playing for their futures at the club every time they step on to the pitch, be it in a game or during a training session.

The Dutchman made it clear that he is not afraid to let a player go, and has proven that, when he sold Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa, Wilfried Zaha and Old Trafford favourite Darren Fletcher since his arrival at the club.

The former Bayern Munich manager wants his players to give a 100% all the time whether they are in a game or during a training session, and has revealed that there will be more casualties in future.

Ander Herrera, who joined the club from Athletic Bilbao in the summer, has struggled to nail down a regular place in the team, and the manager recently revealed that he wants the midfielder to improve, claiming that he is not at the level of Wayne Rooney or Juan Mata.

"I think all of them are playing for their future and all of them are aware of that. They know they have to perform. Not just in the matches, but also on the training pitch," Van Gaal said, as quoted by the Mirror.

"It always has to be 100 per cent. Maybe a lot of players were not aware of that - but now they know."

The United manager admits that it is a tough job to tell a player that he does not have a future at the club, as they are all trying to do their best.

"It is not easy for me [to make tough decisions] because I know that most of my players are trying to do their utmost best."

"When you see that as a manager, then it is very hard to say to someone 'you have to go'," the 63-year-old manager explained.