Louis van Gaal’s speech the highlight of Manchester United awards night

Louis van Gaal gave a charismatic speech at Manchester United's annual awards evening in which the manager acknowledged the fans for their support, roared, "We are very close" regarding the gap to Chelsea and left the stage before returning to thank a lady saxophone player.

The Dutchman was speaking after he had presented David de Gea with the supporters' player of the year award at the presentation evening, which took place at Old Trafford. After making a long speech and heading for his seat next to the assistant manager, Ryan Giggs, at a table close to the dais, Van Gaal decided to return in what became a bizarre moment.

Taking the microphone from the presenter, Hayley McQueen, the 63-year-old said: “I want to say something. Pay attention to the manager – Ryan Giggs said to me, and he is always right but in this case particularly right. I have said to you – you are the best fans in the world but tonight I was a little bit disappointed and I shall say why.

“I have seen a lady who plays the saxophone fantastically. Give her big applause.”

While this did, indeed, draw an ovation from the audience in the Manchester Suite, Van Gaal finally stepped down for good.

In his initial speech he claimed United were close to the champions, Chelsea, despite being 15 points behind with a match left. “You remember away game against Chelsea?” he said of the game on April 18th at Stamford Bridge, which United lost 1-0. “No, no, no, you have to listen. I ask you to listen because at that time we have 50 points and then [Wayne]Rooney sat in the dressing room – we go for the second place, he said that. [Before that]six games in a row we win and then we go to Chelsea. Who are the better team then? It’s easy to say that now in this room. I can believe it but it was the truth but we lost.

“We lost that game but can you imagine when you have 80 per cent ball possession you have 10 big possibilities and they have three. They have three and they win the game. When we win that game count the numbers of points we could have won because after that we lost three games in a row. What I want to say to you, we are very close.”