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LONDON. — Louis van Gaal bridled at the question, but could not argue against the cold, brutal truth. That, despite an unprecedented £150m spending spree last summer, United have the same number of points as they did at this stage during David Moyes’ ill-fated reign as manager. And the only reason United are in a more elevated position this season — fourth as opposed to seventh under Moyes — is simply because Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton have been nowhere near as good or consistent as they were last season.

But with three of those teams now narrowing the gap on the top four, the minimum requirement required from Van Gaal this season — Champions League qualification — is suddenly not looking the decent bet it was a month ago.

Moyes’ 10 months in charge really started to unravel in the New Year and Van Gaal will hope history is not about to repeat itself.

The recent 11-game unbeaten run which had suggested they were on an upward trajectory under the demanding Dutchman actually masked several indifferent performances.

Many of the results were dug out of resilience and a fair measure of good fortune — in particular the away wins over Arsenal and Southampton and the home victory over Stoke. Even League One basement club Yeovil gave them plenty of uncomfortable moments in the FA Cup third round.

So while United’s shot-shy performance against Southampton on Sunday came as a big surprise, the result was not quite so unexpected for anyone who had focussed more on the quality of their performances than their results.

Now a run of only six points from the last 15 has switched the focus at Old Trafford from looking at the unlikely possibility of catching Chelsea and neighbours Manchester City to glancing anxiously over their shoulders to protect an increasingly precarious place in the top four. — The Daily Express.