EPL: Louis Van Gaal claims race for top four berth still a "rat race"

Manchester United football team manager Louis van Gaal has said that the battle for securing places in the Champions League is still a 'rat race' with eight games of the Premier League season still left.

United have beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in their last two games, producing their best form of the season to consolidate the fourth spot in the Premier League table, five points ahead of the chasing pack.

They host Aston Villa on Saturday and, with matches against the top three sides to come before the end of the season, United cannot afford to drop points against a side who are 16th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone, Sport24 reported.

Van Gaal claimed that the top four is still a rat race. He admitted that he said when they had 13 points from 11 games and were getting a lot of criticism that they would see at the end of the season.

The Dutchman insisted that they would still see at the end of the season, adding that United still has the top three to play.