Following years of struggle, many United fans are keen on Mourinho to join the club and given Portuguese giants’ brilliant record throughout his managerial career, there is no reason why he can not not be a success with the Red Devils.
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Rooney lit up a bleak first half in Tuesday’s rearranged match by finishing a fine team move, racking up his 100th Premier League goal at Old Trafford in the process.
Van Gaal has clearly been unsuccessful at United by failing to secure a Champions League qualification for next season and even if we win the FA Cup at the weekend against Crystal Palace at Wembley, it’s hard to look ahead with him still as manager.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has revealed that he expects to be deployed in a midfield role for his club next season.
In a game carried over from Sunday following a postponement caused by the discovery of a fake bomb accidentally left behind during a terror training exercise, United needed a 19-goal victory in order to steal past Manchester City into the fourth and final Champions League qualifying berth.
And the former Netherlands boss feels the speculation over his future has been fuelled by the media as well as “the legends”, amidst reports linking Jose Mourinho with the manager’s job at Old Trafford.
“Yes”, he said firmly when asked if he expected to be retained.
While the win meant that they finished fifth in the league and will enter next season’s Europa League directly in the group stages, Van Gaal admits that it has not been a good enough season for the club. “Normally we are closer”.
Van Gaal addressed supporters from the pitch as United conducted their traditional end-of-season lap of appreciation. Thank you for that.
“And I have said I shall be here, that is my opinion, so the board has to decide if it is like that”.
He added: “They have showed in spite of that we have not always played very well, but they have supported the players on the pitch always”. We never used to play football the way we play now. Ashley Young completed United’s scoring before Chris Smalling’s own goal gave the visitors a consolation.
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“I have the impression that I will still be here, otherwise I can’t say all the things that I have said”. It’s rhetorical, I think. “We have got a lot of pace in the team now and I think I can read the game quite well – whether to go forward or stay deeper and leave the space for the other lads”. “But we need fast, creative players in attack”.
