Manchester
United sack Louis van Gaal and his Dutch coaching staff as Jose Mourinho
prepares to take charge at Old Trafford
·
Louis van
Gaal has been dismissed from his role at Manchester United
·
Jose
Mourinho will take over reins at Old Trafford following Van Gaal's exit
·
Albert
Stuivenberg, Frans Hoek and Max Reckers have also left the club
Manchester United have
sacked Louis van Gaal just two days after the Dutchman led them to victory over
Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
Van Gaal has been made
to pay for United's poor Premier League campaign and will be replaced by former
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
His Dutch coaching staff
- including United assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg and goalkeeper coach
Frans Hoek - have also left the club with immediate effect.
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Louis
van Gaal has been sacked by Manchester United just two days after leading the
club to the FA Cup
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Van
Gaal was pictured arriving at United's Aon Training Complex on Monday morning
ahead of his sacking
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Van
Gaal's last act at Manchester United was lifting the FA Cup following his
side's win over Crystal Palace
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Goalkeeper
coach Frans Hoek (far left) and Albert Stuivenberg (far right) have also
left the club along with Van Gaal, while Ryan Giggs (second left) could stay at
the club
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Performance
analyst Max Reckers (far left) has also been shown the Old Trafford exit door
by United along with his compatriots Hoek (second left), Stuivenberg (third
left) and Van Gaal
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Jose
Mourinho (left, pictured with Van Gaal) will take over the reins at Old
Trafford following Van Gaal's sacking
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Mourinho
(pictured) and his agent Jorge Mendes will hold talks with Manchester United on
Tuesday
Ed Woodward arrived at
Manchester United's Carrington training complex ahead of talks with Van Gaal on
Monday morning.
The United executive
vice-chairman informed Van Gaal he will no longer continue as manager as they
look to appoint Mourinho as his successor.
Van Gaal arrived at
Carrington at around 8.45am. His entire coaching staff were also present
as they learned their fate.
Mourinho expects to have
more talks on Tuesday ahead of signing a three-year deal with Rui Faria and
Silvino Louro the goalkeeping coach expected to follow.
Ryan Giggs' future at
United is up in the air despite Mourinho's wish to keep the Welshman at the
club.
Van Gaal's trusted
performance analyst Max Reckers, who caused friction within the Manchester
United family, has also been shown the Old Trafford exit door.
Van Gaal was followed
into United's training ground by employment lawyer Paul Gilroy QC, who has long
worked with the League Managers Association.
Having initially been
turned away by security, he was allowed into the complex around an hour after
the Dutchman arrived.
Gilroy lists former
United manager Moyes among the clients he has advised, along with Ferguson, Roy
Hodgson and Brendan Rodgers.
Chambers and Partners
describe Gilroy as 'a noted employment specialist' who is 'renowned for getting
a fantastic deal for managers'.
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Mourinho
(right) learned his trade under Van Gaal at Barcelona but will now replace his
former boss
Before the celebrations
had even subsided at Wembley on Saturday, United's FA Cup win was being
overshadowed by fresh reports that Van Gaal was to be replaced by the former
Chelsea boss in the coming days.
United have steadfastly
refused to comment on speculation regarding their managerial situation, while
the Portuguese kept his counsel when asked about the job by Press Association
Sport ahead of David Haye's fight on Saturday evening.
Van Gaal stood firm when
asked about his position in the post-match press conference at Wembley, but
fuelled speculation on Sunday by telling a reporter outside the team hotel that
'it's over'.
The brevity of the
comment meant it was not immediately clear whether that meant the former
Holland manager had been told his time at United was at an end, although his
situation could soon become clearer.
Van Gaal arrived at
United's Aon Training Complex at around 8.45am on Monday, his Mercedes sweeping
into the Carrington training ground.
Two years ago
predecessor Moyes attended a morning meeting with Woodward at the club's
training complex and a statement confirming the Scot's sacking followed shortly
afterwards, just 10 months into a six-year deal to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.
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 Portuguese has
repeatedly spoken of his plans to return to work this summer, and reviving
United's fortunes would surely be a mouth-watering proposition for the
self-styled 'Special One'.
United, a club
synonymous with a swashbuckling, attacking style, managed a paltry 49 league
goals - their lowest return for 26 years - and missed out on Champions League
qualification to neighbours Manchester City on goal difference.
A first FA Cup win since
2004 was a welcome boost, but captain Wayne Rooney admitted the campaign was
far from good enough.
'He has been under
pressure. I think we all have,' Rooney said of Van Gaal.
'That's part of playing
for Manchester United and managing Manchester United - it is a massive club.
'You have to set
standards and we fell below them this season.
'But we have to make
sure as players we get back to those standards and make sure we are back
challenging for the main trophies.'
Success is something
former United midfielder and Chelsea assistant Ray Wilkins is backing Mourinho
to bring back to Old Trafford.
'I think it is the right
move,' he told talkSPORT. 'It is the only move for them. He will get them
playing again and he will get them winning again.
'He is a winner - 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.'