Louis van Gaal has talked up the attacking qualities of his Manchester United side, but believes that he has inherited an unbalanced squad.

The Dutchman took charge nearly a fortnight ago and after assessing his players, he feels that it is packed with talent in the forward positions.

However, he recognises that he is still short of options in defence as he plans for a season using a 3-5-2 formation.

He told reporters: "When there is success you have a very good squad, and now I have to follow and the squad was broken, I think.

"When you look at the squad, there is quality. There is Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck. 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."

United begin their new campaign with a visit of Swansea City on August 16.