Manchester United set to make official statement on Van Gaal

Manchester United are set to make an announcement about the future of manager Louis van Gaal on Monday amid British media reports that the Dutchman has been sacked.

Speculation had been rife since United's victory in the FA Cup final on Saturday that Van Gaal would be fired by the Premier League club and replaced by Jose Mourinho.

But with an announcement widely expected later on Monday, some media outlets started to report that Van Gaal had already been let go.

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 Netherlands manager had been told his time at United was at an end, although his situation could soon become clearer.

The Dutchman arrived at United’s Aon Training Complex at around 8.45am on Monday. Renowned employment lawyer Paul Gilroy QC, who works for the League Managers Association, was also spotted arriving soon after.

Gilroy lists Van Gaal’s predecessor David Moyes among the clients he has advised, with Chambers and Partners describing him as being “renowned for getting a fantastic deal for managers”.

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.

Incidentally the 1pm time reportedly scheduled for an official club statement coincided with the opening of the New York stock exchange - for which the announcement of a new manager must first be revealed.

Although that supposed 1pm statement did not come to fruition - Manchester United are expected to announce the end of their manager’s reign once a severance package has been agreed between all parties at the club’s training complex.