Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has blamed a 'strange' offside call on Jesse Lingard's goal for his side's defeat at the hands of Wolfsburg.

Juan Mata was judged offside for interfering with the goal-bound shot from Lingard when the score was 2-1.

The Red Devils bowed out of the Champions League after suffering a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the German club but van Gaal suggests it could have been a different story if that goal had not been disallowed.

"When you see that [the disallowed goal] as a linesman then you are very good and you give first that it is a goal and then a few players come and say to you [sic], and then you change your mind, it's strange in my opinion," he told BT Sport.

"I don't think that the goalkeeper was interfered by Mata because the ball is turning in the goal so I don't think he can reach that ball, but of course he sees Mata in the offside position and he takes the benefit of that and they are criticising the referee.

"The decisions of the referee - that is not a positive for us. So when it's a tight group, this can happen."