Manchester United sack Manager Louis Van Gaal
Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United, with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho set to be named as his replacement.
Van Gaal, leaves after two years of a three-year contract and is currently discussing severance terms. The former Netherlands boss is believed to earn around £6.4m a year.
Mourinho’s appointment is expected to be confirmed after the 53-year-old Portuguese meets with senior United officials on Tuesday.
It is not yet certain what future Ryan Giggs, Van Gaal’s assistant, has at Old Trafford or what will happen to the rest of the coaching team. According to BBC Sport United’s FA Cup win over Crystal Palace would be Van Gaal’s last game in charge.
He took control of United after leading the Netherlands to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Old Trafford club finished fourth in the Premier League in his first season in charge to qualify for the Champions League.
But they finished fifth this term and will play in the Europa League next season. They only scored 49 league goals, too, their lowest total since 1989-90. Saturday’s FA Cup success at Wembley gave United a first trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson delivered the Premier League title in 2013 in his last season before retirement, but it was not enough to stop Van Gaal from losing his job.
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea last December, just seven months after leading the London club to the Premier League title. Van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford with his reputation enhanced after steering the Netherlands to the 2014 World Cup semi-finals.
After a solid first season, Van Gaal was expected to turn United into title contenders, especially after taking the club’s outlay on players to more than £250m since the summer of 2014. His record in the transfer market has been hit and miss. Angel di Maria – a British record signing at £59.7m – faded after a fast start and was sold, while Radamel Falcao delivered little after his loan move from Monaco.
Steve Coppell, who starred for United in the 1970s and 80s, said it was hard to understand Van Gaal’s philosophy, claiming “players sometimes do not really understand what he’s trying to get through to them”.
Former midfielder Paul Scholes – a member of the club’s legendary ‘Class of ’92’ – was one of the Dutchman’s harshest critics.
“It seems he doesn’t want players to beat men and score goals,” he said. “It’s not a team I would have enjoyed playing in. “There’s no spirit, there’s nobody having a go at each other, there’s no smiling, there’s no entertainment.”
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