Louis van Gaal reportedly learned his fate as Manchester United manager after receiving a phone call from Jose Mourinho “in the last couple of weeks” in which the Portuguese admitted he had been “sounded out” as his replacement. 

Despite leading the Red Devils to FA Cup glory on Saturday Van Gaal, 64, was sacked on Monday, bringing to a close a largely disappointing two-year spell for him as Old Trafford boss.

Mourinho, 53, is widely expected to be installed in his place on a three-year deal, and he reportedly called his former Barcelona colleague to reveal he had been approached by United, per David McDonnell in the Mirror.

McDonnell added that, upon receiving the call, Van Gaal’s confidence that he would remain in charge until the end of his three-year deal in Manchester began to waver, and Mourinho made the call in order “to preserve his long-standing friendship” with the former Barca, Ajax and Bayern Munich boss.

The former Netherlands boss also reportedly “felt humiliated” by United’s approach for Mourinho and left the club “in a rage” after his FA Cup triumph was overshadowed, per Matt Lawton, Chris Wheeler and and Mike Keegan in the Daily Mail.

Firm reports emerged of Van Gaal’s imminent sacking immediately after United claimed their first trophy since 2013 with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in Saturday’s FA Cup final at Wembley.

The Manchester club then finally confirmed the Dutchman’s long-predicted departure on Monday:

Delivering a piece of silverware could not save Van Gaal after he failed to lead United to a top-four finish in the 2015-16 Premier League, meaning they will not be in the UEFA Champions League next season.

He had also long ago lost the support of the Old Trafford faithful after instilling an insipid style of play at United.

Mourinho is unlikely to return United to the swashbuckling attacking side they were for so long under Sir Alex Ferguson—that is not really the former Chelsea boss’ style—but his recent record across Europe indicates that he should be able to engineer a vast improvement.

Having previously worked with Van Gaal at the Camp Nou, many questioned how Mourinho’s relationship with his former mentor would be affected by him being installed as his successor at United, per the Guardian‘s Daniel Taylor:

However, the former Inter Milan, Real Madrid and FC Porto boss seemingly moved to make sure their friendship remained intact despite his imminent appointment as Van Gaal’s replacement.

The self-appointed Special One is likely to undo much of Van Gaal’s work from the last two seasons, with Everton centre-back John Stones reportedly a key target for him in the summer, per Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones:

United’s hierarchy and fanbase are likely to demand an immediate improvement after three disappointing seasons since Ferguson left, and of all the managers available to them, Mourinho is surely the best equipped to lead them back to the top of English football.

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