The 64-year-old Dutchman was greeted by a number of waiting supporters of the club, on the morning after United’s FA Cup final victory over Crystal Palace.
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It had been suggested that Van Gaal had effectively confirmed his departure when he told Sky Sports News “it’s over” on Saturday, but United indicated to the Daily Mirror that he was referring to the season rather than his future.
Louis van Gaal’s former players and ex-colleagues discuss his tenure at Old Trafford.
Woodward as well as Joel and Avie Glazer, part of the American family who own the Premier League club, were at Wembley on Saturday – but are not thought to have been at the team hotel.
The BBC ran the same story but added that some senior figures at United were known to have serious reservations about the prospect of appointing Mourinho, with some preferring Van Gaal’s assistant, Ryan Giggs, as an alternative.
United failed to recover, missing out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the season and suffering a Europa League exit at the hands of hated rivals Liverpool.
Van Gaal himself was reported in some of Monday’s newspapers to be preparing for a holiday in Portugal, but he gave reporters a wave as he drove into the training complex just before 9am.
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.
The Guardian said that Van Gaal afterwards “started sending the players individual emails detailing their faults and submitting video clips to highlight his dissatisfaction” but that many ignored his missives.
A first FA Cup win since 2004 was a welcome boost but captain Wayne Rooney knows the campaign was far from good enough.
What would further help Mourinho and the club is that with Ibrahimovic a free agent, the only expenditure that will need to be devoted to his capture will be his wages-while his salary is likely to be significant, it will still allow them to bring in a world-class player and have a huge amount of money to spend.
“I think it is the right move”, he told talkSPORT.
If reports are accurate – and they have been pointing in this direction for months – Mourinho will soon be handed the reins of a team that has posted its three consecutive worst finishes since Premier League play began in 1992.
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“He is a victor – there is no two ways about it. When he goes to a club, normally he wins a big trophy within the first couple of years”.
