Manchester United legend Denis Irwin has jumped to the defence of Louis van Gaal.
Irwin is convinced winning the FA Cup will silence the knockers.
Irwin, 49, told the Daily Star Sunday: "The facts are that he has lost just one game in 18.
"But it's important to get the first trophy under your belt as soon as possible and it could be he does it like Fergie, by starting off with an FA Cup win.
"He will go all out against Preston for a couple of reasons.
"First, he needs that initial trophy win and second, because we're not involved in Europe, so that frees up a bit of time.
"So far in the competition he has played strong teams in the games against Yeovil and Cambridge so that shows you how much he thinks about it.
"There are a lot of big teams knocked out already - Chelsea, Manchester City, Spurs, Southampton - so there is an opportunity there.
"But I don't think he will get a particularly easy game at Deepdale. Preston have some experienced players, like Kevin Davies. Plus they don't concede many goals."
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