Jose Mourinho is set to be appointed the new Manchester United manager early next week after agreeing a deal to take over from Louis van Gaal. The Dutchman won the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday and seemed to be under the impression that he would still be in charge next season, but is now certain to be replaced by Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager, who left Chelsea under a cloud in December last year, turned down an offer from Paris Saint-Germain in the hope that United would come calling – and negotiations took place in the last few days after United had missed out on fourth place in the Premier League and therefore a Champions League berth.
Mourinho, 53, has already agreed a salary and has discussed possible transfer targets with the club and is likely to be presented as United’s new manager once his agent, Jorge Mendes, has finalised the finer details of the contract.
Van Gaal leaves United after two seasons in charge. United finished fourth in the league in his first campaign and won the FA Cup on Saturday but went out in the group stage of the Champions League and were then eliminated by Liverpool in the Europa League.
United’s plan had always been to keep 64-year-old Van Gaal in the job for three years before handing over to someone younger, such as Ryan Giggs. But the lack of progress on the pitch and the fact that many of the club’s new signings failed to improve the team meant that the club decided to end the deal with one year remaining.
Despite spending £250m on new players, Van Gaal’s tenure has disappointed many fans. His grip on the job has seemed increasingly fragile this season, with Mourinho known to covet the task of masterminding a revival at United three years after legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down.
Mourinho is one of the game’s most successful coaches, winning three league titles in his two spells at Stamford Bridge, as well as guiding Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League victories in 2004 and 2010 respectively.
