London: Louis van Gaal has expressed his amazement at the “unbelievable” way Manchester United supporters stuck by him despite the club making their worst start to a season in Premier League history.

The veteran Dutch coach, who takes United to Stoke on New Years Day, admitted that at his former clubs the personal abuse would have been pouring down from the terraces, as per reports.

The opening 10 games of Van Gaal’s debut English season brought just 13 points and also featured a humiliating 0-4 Capital One Cup defeat to MK Dons.

Although United are now well on course for a return to the Champions League next season and are refusing to rule out an unlikely assault on the title race this year, Van Gaal was surpised by the support he received in the bad times.

When asked Wednesday what had surprised him most in his first six months in the job, Van Gaal said: “The fans. I have never had the experience that when you lose or draw at home that the fans are still applauding for you, showing their belief in you.”

“In Barcelona, the white handkerchiefs. In Bayern, they whistle. In Amsterdam, Ajax, they are shouting for my friend Cruyff. Here, they are applauding – stand up, and applaud. Unbelievable. That’s why I’m thanking the fans because they were very important in my first six months.”

The pragmatic Dutchman, predictably, remains grounded despite the remarkable turnaround in his club’s fortunes that has seen them lose just once – in the Manchester derby – over the last 14 league games.

“You can never say in advance that we are the next champion or something like that because it’s not so easy,” he said.

“For me, it’s more important the way we play and perform than what the others do. Of course, in sport you shall always be compared and in 2015 we shall know more than in 2014.”