Van Gaal: I don't want to finish career with United sacking

Louis van Gaal is desperate to overturn Manchester United's torrid form to avoid seeing his career terminated early by the 20-time English league champions.

United have not won any of their last five games and failed to qualify for the Champions League round of 16, leaving many questioning Van Gaal's future at the club.

Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti and now Jose Mourinho, who relieved of his duties as Chelsea manager on Thursday, have all been linked with the top job at Old Trafford.

"I don't want to finish my career with the club sacking me," Van Gaal said.

"That would be a great disappointment for me to say goodbye to the football world by being fired.

"I think my honour is much more pressure for me than the pressure of the media and the fans."

Still, the 64-year-old Van Gaal does not believe this is the most pressure he has been under in his managerial career and feels his stock in the game will be enough for United to stick with him.

"What can I lose? If I lose the confidence of the fans, that would be very sad," said the Dutchman.

"But I have had a career that every starting trainer wants to have. I don't think that the pressure is now the highest.

"When you start in your first job and the crowd is yelling every week for another coach and that happened to me in my first year at Ajax than that pressure compared to the guy I am now is much higher."

Despite that, Van Gaal admitted he would be judged on results.

"I have the full confidence of my board and players, that is what I feel," Van Gaal said.

"But we have to get results, we have to win. We know that, the players know that, I know that and members of staff know that."

Van Gaal's United take on Norwich City at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Saturday.