• Premier League

Van Gaal: Mourinho is now the master

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal believes he has some catching up to do with former apprentice Jose Mourinho.

Van Gaal faces Mourinho for only the second time in opposite dugouts when his United sude host Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday. The pair went head-to-head in the 2010 Champions League final, when Mourinho's Inter defeated Van Gaal's Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu.

Mourinho has won the league title in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy and Van Gaal stated he must guide United to Premier League success in order to match his former protégé.

"Maybe because he hasn't won as many titles as I have won but [has won titles] in a shorter time, and he has won the championship in more than three countries," Van Gaal said. "I am the next in three and I also want to do it here then I am equal again."

However, there could be a set-back for Van Gaal on Sunday when Mourinho's table-topping Chelsea side visit Old Trafford.

The club is sweating on the fitness of Radamel Falcao after the striker took a knock during Friday training, but Van Gaal said the on-loan attacker is no longer dealing with a knee injury.

"He got a kick in the morning [on Friday] so we have to wait and see if he's fit enough," Van Gaal said, according to the team's official website. "But it's not a knee problem.

"He had a knee problem but not anymore. We have to build Falcao up, that I have also said in the first press conference when he came to our club."

Falcao was a substitute in last week's game against West Brom because he was suffering from jet lag after he spent the international break with Colombia.

Manchester United will also be without Wayne Rooney up top as he serves the final game of his three-match suspension.

If Falcao is unavailable to go against Chelsea, Van Gaal will be left with just three true forwards: Robin van Persie, Will Keane and James Wilson.

"It is difficult because we are playing [games] already, that's difficult but we have played him because I like the way he was playing so we play with two strikers," Van Gaal said. "Now I have to choose between two strikers, even three because Wilson can also play, the younger player."

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