After United saw their hopes of Champions League qualification suffer another setback with a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland last Saturday, they were also beaten 2-1 in the Europa League by a team sitting third in the Danish Superliga, who had not played a competitive game for more than two months.
Van Gaal now faces another critical week that could effectively end United’s season, with Monday’s perilous trip to Shrewsbury Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup followed by the return leg with Midtjylland and a Premier League clash at home to Arsenal.
However, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the Dutchman will be in charge for all of those games.