Louis van Gaal says he inherited a 'broken' squad from David Moyes

Never one to mince words, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has once again taken a shot at the situation he inherited from former manager David Moyes at Old Trafford.

Last week, the Dutch tactician bemoaned the imbalance in his squad, saying that he has too many players who like to operate in a similar role (behind the striker as a No. 10). This week, Van Gaal is going one step further, suggesting that the squad he has to work with is "broken."

After dismissing the notion that replacing Sir Alex Ferguson would have been a more difficult task than arriving in the wake of Moyes' dismissal, the 62-year-old turned his attention towards the players at his disposal.

"When there is success you have a very good squad, and now I have to follow and the squad was broken I think," Van Gaal said.

"When you look at the squad, there is quality. There is (Wayne) Rooney, (Robin) van Persie, (Javier) Hernandez, (Danny) Welbeck, but you also see Juan Mata, (Marouane) Fellaini, and you see (Ander) Herrera. There are a lot of players that can play in the same position.

"It is not in balance. It's more difficult to succeed in a difficult situation than in a fantastic situation."

Van Gaal is reportedly looking to make at least two more high-profile signings in order to correct that imbalance in the team, with the likes of Angel di Maria, Arturo Vidal and Kevin Strootman all mentioned as possibilities. 

The club likely needs a central defender as well, with both Mats Hummels and (more realistically) Thomas Vermaelen mentioned as possibilities. One of those signings would allow United to utilize the 3-man central defense that worked so well for Van Gaal with the Netherlands at the World Cup.

That said, the manager maintains that he is still unsure of which system he will employ to begin the season this year, and he will not make any purchases in the transfer market unless they fit his preferred style of play.

"I don't buy players for the sake of buying players," he said.

"I buy players to improve my selection. Now I don't know if we will play (5-3-2) or 4-3-3. If I play 4-3-3 I need more specialists in the wings and attackers and then we have to buy another kind of player."