Although van Gaal secured the domestic cup thanks to Saturday’s extra-time victory over Crystal Palace, he failed to restore United to their former glory during his two seasons in charge.
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United have moved to hire Mourinho as Van Gaal’s replacement, six months on from the 53-year-old’s dismissal as Chelsea manager.
Manchester United fired van Gaal as manager Monday, ending his tenure after two seasons.
Woodward, the most senior executive below the owning Glazer family, praised Van Gaal for behaving with “great professionalism and dignity throughout his time here”.
And according to the Times, Van Gaal would have walked away from the club for nothing had it not been for the manner they dismissed him.
Van Gaal said he was “very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan”.
United finished fifth in the Premier League this past season and qualified for the Europa League, a disappointing outcome for the ambitious three-time European champions and their American owners.
Van Gaal still has a season remaining on his three-year contract, while Mourinho has been out of work since paying for Chelsea’s abysmal title defence with his job in December.
In a widely expected announcement, the club confirmed that the 64-year-old Van Gaal was leaving “with immediate effect”. “Both of these experiences have lived up to expectations and been fantastic”, he said.
An important transitory point in the club’s post-Ferguson era this may be, but there was little doubt that a change was required once Van Gaal began speaking about unrealistic ambitions.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss had lost the backing of many members of the United squad, who were unhappy with his rigid playing style and criticism of their mistakes, while sections of the club’s fanbase had taken to jeering him as they grew increasingly frustrated with the team’s conservative tactics.
The Dutchman arrived on the back of guiding his country to a third-placed finish in the 2014 World Cup and with a glittering CV, having won league titles in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, but he fell well short of winning the Premier League.
The former manager issued a statement shortly after news broke, thanking the fans and wishing United in the future.
He spoke of implementing his “philosophy” at Old Trafford, which ended up translating as long periods of possession and a pressing game without the ball.
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.
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And United legend Ferdinand believes the weekend’s triumph will stand the current crop of stars in good stead moving forward.
