Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United, with Jose Mourinho expected to be announced as his successor within the next 48 hours.
The Dutchman was informed of his dismissal by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward at the club’s training ground on Monday morning.
His departure comes less than 48 hours after he led United to FA Cup success – their first in the competition since 2004.
The writing had been on the wall for Van Gaal for some time, with consistently disappointing performances and results drawing criticism from fans and influential former players.
The 64-year-old, who replaced David Moyes in July 2014, spent £250million but United failed to mount a Premier League title challenge under his stewardship.
After finishing fourth in his debut campaign, United finished fifth this season – scoring just 49 goals – to miss out on Champions League qualification.
The United board are understood to have decided to replace Van Gaal a while ago and Saturday’s FA Cup triumph was not enough to save him.
Mourinho is understood to have already agreed a deal to succeed Van Gaal – his former mentor at Barcelona – and his appointment could be announced as soon as Tuesday.
The self-styled Special One has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in December.
He departed amid rumours of a fall-out with senior stars and controversy seems to follow the 53-year-old wherever he goes.
But United, without a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, see Mourinho as the ‘winner’ they need as they look to revive their fortunes.
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Source: Talksport