Stung by a surprise opening-day defeat and with injuries taking their toll, the honeymoon period for Louis van Gaal at Manchester United is definitely over. "Two weeks ago, I was the king of Manchester," Van Gaal said. "Now, I am the devil of Manchester." After opening the English Premier League season with a 2-1 home loss to Swansea, the pressure is already on United and its manager ahead of a trip to Sunderland on Sunday. However, Van Gaal's list of absentees is growing, with Marcos Rojo signed on Wednesday for 20 million euros ($27 million) from Sporting Lisbon â€" unavailable as the Argentina defender has yet to receive a work permit. Central midfielders Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick were all ruled out of contention by Van Gaal on Friday, along with wide midfielder Jesse Lingard. With Luke Shaw still out with a hamstring injury, Van Gaal cannot call on his three big summer signings Rojo, Herrera and Shaw who cost a combined $77 million. The only piece of good news for Van Gaal is that striker Robin van Persie is available this weekend after being given extra time off to recover from his exertions with the Netherlands at the World Cup in Brazil. -- SPA 20:30 LOCAL TIME 17:30 GMT تغريد
