Van Gaal: United just as good as Tottenham but score less goals

Louis van Gaal bemoaned Manchester United's lack of creative flair after insisting his team are just as good as title-chasing Tottenham.

United and Tottenham have experienced contrasting seasons in the Premier League, with Van Gaal's men battling to finish fourth and the Londoners attempting to overhaul Leicester City atop the standings.

Van Gaal and Co. are four points adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, while Tottenham are five points behind Leicester with four matches to play.

But despite the 3-0 defeat at White Hart Lane on April 10, Van Gaal believes there is not much to separate the two teams, just the fact that Tottenham have scored a league-high 64 goals compared to 40.

"We have beaten Tottenham 1-0 and until the 70th minute I think we were the better team but then a miscommunication," he said.

"So I don't think there is a lot of distance between Tottenham and Manchester United, but the distance is in points.

"They have won more, they are scoring more and that's because they have more creative players."

Van Gaal added: "I have said in advance what we need and in my opinion I don't have a senior creative player.

"We can't get every player because it's dependable of the player and the club and how much Manchester United wants to pay."

United's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are hanging by a thread as they prepare to host Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

With five matches to play, United have collected 56 points from 33 matches and must hope Arsenal and Manchester City drop points in the run-in.

"This game against Crystal Palace is very important. We have to win, we need to win, so it's much more important to win this game than for example Arsenal or Manchester City [to win their mid-week games]," Van Gaal said.

"They have that gap of four points for us. It's too important to rotate because rotation or freshness for semi-final [in the FA Cup against Everton], no, we have to win."