Louis van Gaal
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal left
the squad's hotel on Sunday saying "it's over"
amid reports he was about to be replaced by
Jose Mourinho.
Dutch boss van Gaal was greeted by waiting Red
Devils fans following United's FA Cup final win
over Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday.
When asked by a Sky Sports reporter if he had
time to talk, van Gaal replied: "It's over."
Whether that meant he had been sacked by
United was not immediately clear.
But the 64-year-old former Netherlands
manager's brief remark will fuel speculation he
is on his way out of Old Trafford.
No sooner had United lifted the FA Cup then
reports in the British media emerged that
former Chelsea boss Mourinho would be
replacing one-time mentor van Gaal.
For all that they ended this season with a trophy,
United didn't make a sustained challenge for the
Premier League title and failed to qualify for the
Champions League.
United fans were also unhappy with the brand of
football their team played under van Gaal, which
many felt ran counter to the club's traditional
attacking style.
Mourinho saw his second spell as Chelsea
manager end with the sack in December after
last season's champions made a miserable start
to the defence of their Premier League title.
The Portuguese manager may have won trophies
in several European leagues but has never stayed
at one club longer than three years and three
months he racked up in his first spell with
Chelsea.
But former United defender Phil Neville said
even if Mourinho was only at Old Trafford for a
brief time, he would bring trophies to the club.
"I can't see him staying too long at Man United,
maybe two or three years, that seems to be his
shelf life at a football club," Neville told BBC
Radio on Sunday.
"When Jose finishes at a club it tends to be a
pattern where he falls out with a few players, he
gets disgruntled and the team dips.
"It happened at Chelsea, it certainly happened at
Real Madrid where there were rumours he fell
out with a few players.
"It's a pattern with Jose, he comes into a club, he
gets success but he doesn't stay for too long."
United have now failed to finish higher than
fourth in the Premier League in any of the three
seasons since legendary manager Alex Ferguson
retired.
For a club of United's stature that represents an
embarrassing record but Neville believes
Mourinho, who won three Premier League titles
with Chelsea, can transform their fortunes.
"He's a proven winner, a proven champion,"
Neville said.
"United fans want a team that will challenge for
the league title, not a team that finishes seventh
or fifth, and Jose is probably the man for the
job.
"Knowing Jose as I do, I think he will have done
his homework and he's meticulous in his
planning.
"He knows who he wants and at the start he will
demand United sign those players for United to
become championship challengers again."
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