Louis van Gaal has admitted he pushed through Manchester United's move for Memphis Depay because Paris Saint-Germain were closing in on the Dutch star.
The French side were also keen on the exciting prospect but the Reds boss was determined to be reunited with a player who impressed at the World Cup for the Netherlands under his tutelage.
"He's a goalscoring winger and there aren't so many of them in the world," van Gaal revealed to MUTV. "[Lionel] Messi is one of those but now I think we have to talk about the game against Crystal Palace and we have to focus on this and the coming three games. That's more important.
"I was forced to handle [the situation] as a manager because, otherwise, he was going to PSG, that's why I had to sign him and we've done it within one day. But, for us, it's better to focus on the game against Palace."
Although keen to finalise his transfer business quickly, van Gaal reiterated that United's hand was forced on this occasion with three games still to go with the deal set up to be concluded at a later date.
"I want to do this [make signings] early but it's not always possible," he added. "When there's a chance, to you have handle that and manage it directly and that was the case. I want to purchase players after our season and not during the season because it disturbs our concentration for the match."
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