Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has said that he hopes his team will be able to build upon their 2-1 win over Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Red Devils entered the match on the back of an eight-game winless run, and it did appear that would continue after Gylfi Sigurdsson cancelled out an Anthony Martial strike in the second period.

Wayne Rooney won it for the home side late on, however, as they moved into fifth spot in the Premier League table.

"I think we played a very risky system against Swansea because they had a shape with four midfielders in a diamond," the Dutchman told BBC Sport. "We played with three defenders but we did very well and created a lot of chances.

"We didn't score, though, and that's our problem. When we scored, there was not a problem anymore. We scored two beautiful goals. I am very happy for the players because they had to play under big pressure and now we have won.

"We are still near the top of the league and the gap is less. So that's football. That's a season. A season takes eight months or something like that and not one month. I hope this is a fantastic starting point for us in the New Year and we can continue against Sheffield United."

Man United will face Sheffield United in the FA Cup next weekend, but their next league match is away to Newcastle United on January 12.