Manchester United have agreed a £59.7million (Dh365m) fee with Real Madrid for Angel Di Maria.
It was reported that the Argentinian winger will complete a medical with United on Tuesday morning and, if all goes to plan, the Barclays Premier League club will officially confirm his signing.
Di Maria was absent from the Real squad that beat Cordoba 2-0 at the Bernabeu on Monday evening.
The Sunderland game was United’s second this season and once again, as in the 2-1 home defeat to Swansea the previous weekend, they put in an unconvincing display.
Taking a solitary point from six available has hardly made for the spectacular start to the Premier League campaign United fans might have hoped for after Van Gaal’s arrival over the summer.
But striker Robin van Persie insists there is confidence in the camp that things will come good.
Van Persie told MUTV: “We’ve played two games and only picked up one point, we would have loved to have got six points but it didn’t happen, so we have to bounce back.
“I think that everyone has faith and everyone believes in the staff and players.
“We have great players, and it’s just a matter of time before the points will start coming in.”
Van Persie was making his return to action at the Stadium of Light after an extended break following the World Cup, where he was part of Van Gaal’s Holland side that came third in the tournament.
The frontman, who played for just over 60 minutes on Sunday, said of his condition: “I feel good, I feel fit.
“I had a good few weeks of training and played my first hour, so I’ll look forward to the next game.”
He added: “I worked with him (Van Gaal) for two years, and he’s very clear.
“He’s clear in what he asks of each player in the team every day. So, where I can, I will help the other players.”