Man United have not approached José Mourinho, says agent

José Mourinho's agent says his client is not negotiating behind Louis van Gaal's back to take over at Manchester United if the Old Trafford club decide they need to move out their current manager.

While United have been made aware that Mourinho is keen on the job, Jorge Mendes said there had not been an approach for the former Chelsea manager. "There is nothing," Mendes said, when asked about reports Mourinho had provisionally agreed to replace Van Gaal. "We don't know what will happen in the future, but now there is no agreement. There isn't an official proposal either, that's not true."

The Guardian also understands that, while United are aware of Mourinho's strengths, at least one of the key decision-makers at Old Trafford dislikes the idea of him taking over. His availability has divided United's board, just like it did when Sir Alex Ferguson was retiring in 2013, when the Portuguese was overlooked in favour of David Moyes.

Van Gaal’s job is on the line after a run of three successive defeats that has seen United eliminated from the Champions League as well as losing to Bournemouth and Norwich City. His team have dropped to fifth in the Premier League and Van Gaal is under intense pressure going into Saturday’s game at Stoke, followed by Chelsea’s visit to Old Trafford two days later. The Dutchman holds his weekly press conference today while, behind the scenes, the club have insisted they will not be drawn on the feverish speculation surrounding their manager.

Amid growing criticism about the team’s playing style, United have not won in six matches and their former player, Mark Hughes – now in charge at Stoke – is aware Saturday’s fixture could have serious ramifications for the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager.

“I said last week when José lost his role that no one is immune,” Hughes said. “It doesn’t matter what you have done in the game previously – and his [van Gaal’s] record as a top-line manager is exceptional – you have to win football matches. He has been in the game a long time and he knows better than most if the results and perception is you are not doing particularly well, you come under pressure. He understands that – we all do.”

(Guardian service)