Manchester United players' fear of Louis van Gaal has telling effect on Red Devils' performance

Manchester United players Memhpis Depay, Anthony Martial and Matteo Darmian appeared to be nervous before the start of their Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven at Old Trafford on 25 November. The match ended in a disappointing goalless draw and the result has put the Red Devils' position in the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition in jeopardy.

Depay retained his position in the starting lineup along with Jesse Lingard against his former club after impressing against Watford, but was moved to his preferred left wing position following the return of Martial and Wayne Rooney. Lingard was criticised by Louis van Gaal for missing the opportunity to find the back of the net.

The Daily Mail claims the young players at Old Trafford are afraid of making mistakes on the field, with concerns of what they may have to face from their manager during half-time, after the final whistle or in the training session, and during the analysis session with the Dutchman's assistant Max Reckers.

In these training sessions, every player's mistake is highlighted in front of the whole squad. The report claims this has had an impact on the squad, especially on young players, who are not able to express themselves on the pitch. In addition to this, one of the directors at the club admitted United are "too cautious" under the Dutchman.

United are second in the table with eight points and are ahead of PSV by a point, who are third in the table. The 20-time English champions need a win in the final group stage fixture against Wolfsburg in order to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League by finishing on top of their group.

A defeat in Germany will see Van Gaal's side rely on the result from PSV's clash against CSKA Moscow. A failure to qualify for the next round of the competition will force them to settle for a place in the Europa League.