booked a League Cup fourth-round clash with
Middlesbrough by beating Ipswich Town 3-0.
Louis van Gaal declared himself "a happy coach" after
Manchester United eased to a 3-0 League Cup win over Ipswich
Town.
The Dutchman, wary of suffering a repeat of last season's 4-0
loss to MK Dons in the competition, named a surprisingly strong
XI.
He was rewarded, too, as Wayne Rooney put aside questions
over his form to open the scoring, before Andreas Pereira curled
home a stunning free-kick in his first competitive start.
A fine night for the hosts, which saw Phil Jones play for the first
time this campaign following a blood clot, was capped when
big-money signing Anthony Martial made it four goals in as
many games after coming off the bench.
Van Gaal was naturally delighted, telling MUTV: "The result was
great. We don't have injuries. Jones has played a lot of minutes,
so I'm a happy coach."
While Jones' comeback is a welcome boost, it is Martial who
has revitalised the United fans following his promising start to
life at Old Trafford.
The boss added: "He knows that he can score and he can score
because of his fellow players. We made it very easy for him two
times because we'd won the game and the gaps are existing.
"With his speed and composure he can score. He did it against
Liverpool and now again. We are happy but still we have to
keep our feet on the ground."
The performance of Pereira will also give Van Gaal a headache,
with the Brazilian belying his inexperience to put in a man-of-
the-match display.
"He had a big participation in that game because he shoots the
free-kick in a fantastic way," admitted Van Gaal.
"He's been training on that. Like all the other players there is
space for improvement for Pereira."
United will face Championship opposition again in the next
round, with Middlesbrough set to visit Old Trafford.
Van Gaal knows the promotion favourites will pose a threat,
saying: "It is one of the top clubs in the Championship so it is
not so easy. I am very happy with the result.
"I am happy we are playing at home. We are travelling a lot so it
is good to stay at home."
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