Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has described his treatment by the media as 'horrible and awful'

Defiant Louis Van Gaal

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has described his treatment as 'horrible and awful' following the recent home defeat by Southampton.

The Dutchman has come under renewed pressure amid reports he offered to resign halfway through his three-year contract at Old Trafford.

'It is awful and horrible but you can write....It is the third time I am sacked and I am still sitting here,' he told reporters.  

But a defiant Van Gaal said: 'I am always fighting.  'It's your duty as a manager and a player to stand up again and do what you do because that is a professional attitude. 'It is always like that when you lose a game, certainly in the last minute, that you are fed up. How we have played (against Southampton) is not always the main issue because you can play badly and win.

'When that happens, you are not so fed up. But we have played very well and lost, like Chelsea away last season, so when that happens you are more fed up than ever.'

Asked if he had offered his resignation to United chief Ed Woodward, Van Gaal replied: 'I have not mentioned that, ever. (Woodward's support) is fantastic of course, but that also gives you a lot of pressure. When the board has such confidence, the pressure is much higher than when they say it is the last game.

'When your confidence is not so high, you can fight against it.'