The Dutchman is a big fan of Glenn Roeder's £10m summer signing Obafemi Martins, and he sees the striker as the main threat to his side's attempt to return to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.
Van Gaal Takes Swipe At Newcastle!
Martins has scored 14 goals since his move to Tyneside from Inter Milan.
Van Gaal: "When you look at Obafemi Martins, in my eyes he is one of the best strikers at the moment in this league and maybe Europe as well. He is flexible, he is fast, he can shoot with both feet and he is a good header of the ball.
Van Gaal: "When you look at Obafemi Martins, in my eyes he is one of the best strikers at the moment in this league and maybe Europe as well. He is flexible, he is fast, he can shoot with both feet and he is a good header of the ball.
"He has got talent, but he is not really playing at a top European club at the moment. Maybe Newcastle are a top club, but they have not had success in the last few years.
"The Premier League is very strong. Newcastle could be in a higher position, especially when you look at the players they have."
Van Gaal visited St James's with Barcelona in the Champions League encounter in 1997, and seems to have got his facts wrong.
He said: "We lost 3-2 - it was 3-0 at half-time and Faustino Asprilla scored a hat-trick. In Barcelona, the score was 1-0 to us and the most important thing was the result over the two games. I would settle for the same scenario."
He is right with the scores, but the games were played in a group of four and the match was not a two-leg situation. He tries to make out Barcelona won the tie on away goals, which was far from the case. When Newcastle travelled to Barcelona the group was already decided. Neither Barca or the Magpies could qualify, which is why the ground was only one-fifths full!
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1997/98
Sep 17 BARCELONA - Spain (H) 3-2 (Asprilla 3)
Given, Barton, Beresford, Batty, Lee, Barnes (Ketsbaia), Asprilla, Tomasson (Peacock), Gillespie, Watson, Albert. Att: 35,274
Oct 1 DYNAMO KIEV - Ukraine (A) 2-2 (Beresford 2)
Given, Barton, Beresford, Batty, Peacock, Lee (Ketsbaia), Barnes, Asprilla (Tomasson), Gillespie, Watson, Albert. Att: 100,000
Oct 22 PSV EINDHOVEN - Holland (A) 0-1
Given, Barton (Albert), Beresford (Ketsbaia), Batty, Peacock, Howey, Lee, Rush, Tomasson, Gillespie, Watson. Att: 29,200
Nov 5 PSV EINDHOVEN - Holland (H) 0-2
Given, Barton, Beresford, Barnes, Ketsbaia, Tomasson, Gillespie, Watson, Hamilton, Pistone, Albert. Att: 35,214
Nov 26 BARCELONA - Spain (A) 0-1
Hislop, Beresford, Batty, Peacock (Pearce), Barnes, Ketsbaia, Tomasson, Watson, Hamilton, Albert (Hughes). Att: 26,000
Dec 10 DYNAMO KIEV - Ukraine (H) 2-0 (Barnes, Pearce)
Hislop, Batty, Peacock, Lee, Barnes, Asprilla (Ketsbaia), Pearce, Gillespie, Watson, Pistone (Hughes), Albert. Att: 33,694