LVG aware of cup tradition

ATHLETIC fans can be forgiven for thinking what might have been when viewing tomorrow night’s televised FA Cup-tie at Old Trafford.

The significance of last month’s second-round match between Latics and Sheffield United at Bramall Lane was not fully apparent when the two teams slugged it out in a fixture that ended 1-0 for the hosts. But the third-round draw saw the winners pitched into a glamour tie against Manchester United.

For lower-league clubs, it doesn’t get any bigger. Gate receipts and television revenue represent a massive pay-day, one that slipped through Latics’ grasp.

All this will be of little concern to United boss Louis Van Gaal, who gained some respite from his recent problems with a 2-1 home victory over Swansea in the league on Saturday. A title challenge and, at the very least a place in the top four remains the Dutchman’s top priority, but he is keen to stress United’s desire to end an FA Cup-winning drought since 2004.

Van Gaal is keen to put the record straight in the FA Cup and, in the process, provide United stalwarts Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick with a long-awaited winner’s medal.

He said: “I am fully aware of the history and traditions of the FA Cup and that it is a competition we have not won since 2004. It is hard to believe that long-serving players such as Rooney and Carrick, who have won almost every honour in the game, have never managed to win an FA Cup winner’s medal.

“I hope for a long run and to make a real impression.”