Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United should carry on passing the ball back to David de Gea, adding that the goalkeeper can start his team's attacks.
Jonny Evans was booed by the Old Trafford crowd during Saturday's 2-0 win over Sunderland for going backwards to De Gea, prompting fans to chant "attack, attack, attack."
But while Van Gaal feels United are using De Gea too much, he thinks the Spain international can help his teammates to get the ball forward in a more direct style of play.
"I agree with the fans that we don't have to use so much the goalkeeper because I have seen also moments where we can play a higher tempo without interfering with the goalkeeper," Van Gaal is quoted as saying in the Guardian. "But the goalkeeper is also the 11th player for us.
"He can accelerate our game also and sometimes the solution is, via De Gea, to play forward. Of course it is more the English style of playing a match [to attack], but I think the fans have also enjoyed Manchester playing a possession game -- so it is always a mix of both."
Van Gaal defended centre-back Evans' decision at the weekend, saying: "That, at that moment, is the solution for the player. Sometimes, in spite of there being another solution, the player has not seen that solution.
"You have to give credit of your doubt to your player and you have to support him. When you make a mistake in defence it is more or less always a goal against us. You have to see that also. The fans have to see that."