Manchester United have confirmed they have sacked their manager Louis van Gaal.
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Too little, too late looks to be the thinking of the United board if, as was widely reported by British media on Monday, the Dutchman is to be sacked as manager two years into his three-year contract.
An FA Cup triumph was deemed not good enough when measured against a failure to qualify for the Champions League on the back of as season where the 20-times English champions were transformed from the great entertainers into “Boring, Boring Man United”.
One aspect of Van Gaal’s legacy that the fans appreciate is the number of young players he introduced to the first team but Mourinho has shown repeatedly that he has no faith in “potential”.
The realisation that Louis van Gaal was not the manager Manchester United had hoped for seemed to dawn on him at roughly the same time as it did the club’s supporters.
The manager has a great success record and who knows, maybe that’s what United need.
The Old Trafford club won the FA Cup on Saturday defeating Crystal Palace 2-1 in extra time, courtesy of youth product Jese Lingard’s stunning volley.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is expected to replace Van Gaal.
With the fifth place finish, United was not able to become eligible for the Champions League next season, but is set to compete in the Europa League.
United have always been reported to be considering appointing Mourinho due to inconsistent results and uninspiring performances under Van Gaal, and a failure to qualify for the Champions League saw speculation intensify.
UK’s Daily Mirror reports that Manchester United will not be making a 1pm statement over the position of outgoing boss Louis van Gaal.
The former Netherlands boss, 64, is believed to earn around £6.4m a year.
“It has been an honor to manage such a magnificent club as Manchester United, and in doing so, I have fulfilled a long held ambition”.
After reportedly learning of his imminent sacking from his wife Truus immediately after the FA Cup final, van Gaal was driven into United’s training ground at 08:45 BST on Monday with the football world expecting his departure to be announced quickly.
United scored an average of just 1.29 goals per Premier League match, having always been over 1.5 goals per game each season since the inception of the revamped top flight in 1992.
Jose Mourinho is expected to make Zlatan Ibrahimovic one of his first signings at Manchester United, according to L’Equipe.
Mourinho will demand control at Manchester United and he will desperately crave a squad overhaul.
But Van Gaal’s turbulent tenure has been marred by accusations from critics that he betrayed United’s heritage by playing a defensive, risk-averse style.
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It remains to be seen how the Portuguese fits at Old Trafford though, as the club tend to have long term coaching plans whereas Mourinho is known for his short but successful stints.
