Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal dropped a clanger about the title winners that he has available to him in his squad.
Asked about if it would feel strange playing host to pending champions Leicester City on Sunday, the Dutch coach spoke about the champions in his own squad, or lack there of.
He claimed that David De Gea has never won the Premier League while Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney only share one title between them, despite having won it on five separate occasions while the PFA Goalkeeper of the Year won it back in 2013.
“The players who are now playing, they are not used to being champions,” said Van Gaal.
“I don't think Matteo Darmian is used to being a champion and David De Gea was never champion, so I don't agree with the way you make the question.
“Memphis Depay was a champion last year (with PSV Eindhoven) so not many players... Rooney, Carrick, they have been the champions once, or maybe more than once.
“But you have to see always the situation of where the club is, and we have seen that we are in a transitional period, and when I was mentioned as the coach, it was also about that we discussed.
Louis van Gaal on our players: "They are not used to being champions." pic.twitter.com/4XnWxGglJF
— Republik of Mancunia (@R_o_M) April 29, 2016
"When I took over we had more than five or six players above 32 or 33, and then you have to select and buy other players, and there were not too many young players any more in the selection.
“So it is a process of transition, and now we are fighting for the qualification for the Champions League and we are still in the FA Cup, so we have to fight for something and we shall do it and hopefully we can beat Leicester.”
United were serial winners of the Premier League during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, with several members of the current squad experiencing success under the Scot.
Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have all lifted the trophy for the Red Devils, while the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Daley Blind picked up multiple accolades in Germany and the Netherlands respectively.
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