Louis van Gaal tells Manchester United fans to lower their expectations

Louis van Gaal has addressed frustrated Manchester United fans - and they probably won't like what he's had to say.

Following the early Champions League exit, the United boss explained that the supporters' expectations were too high. "The problem is that we have to meet the expectations - and the expectations at a club like Manchester United are very high, and that’s our problem." While the club enjoyed an incredibly successful spell under Sir Alex Ferguson, Van Gaal called for fans to understand that this United side is a very different one. "You have to analyse the club as it is now," said Van Gaal. "You cannot compare it with 10 years ago, because there is an evolution in football and in European football." The Dutchman also claimed that the gap between the top clubs and the rest is closing. "Now we have many more clubs who have the money, who also have the structure to - and are able to - win something. "It’s the same in the Premier League [as it is in Europe]. "Next year, all the clubs in the Premier League will have a bigger budget than most of the clubs in Europe. That makes a big difference. Every club can also buy a player. The difference to buy players now is not so big. "The difference is not so big any more. "The confirmation [of that] is every week. The bottom clubs can beat the top teams. There is no other league that is happens as often as it does in the Premier League. "So it’s very difficult for a Premier League club to match with the other leagues in the Champions League." Louis van Gaal will now turn his attention to guiding his injury-hit United squad through the busy Christmas period.