It has emerged that Jose Mourinho called Louis van Gaal, to tell him that Manchester United had approached him to replace the Dutchman.
Both men worked together at Barcelona, where Van Gaal was head coach and Mourinho was translator. In a bid to preserve that long-standing friendship, Mourinho phoned his former boss, to ensure there will be no ill-feeling if he takes the job.
Van Gaal was eventually sacked on Monday after two years at Old Trafford and Mourinho is hot favourite to take over.
According to The Independent, before the phone call, Van Gaal was adamant he will see out the last year of his contract. But Mourinho’s call convinced him he was a dead man walking.
Van Gaal finished fifth in the Premier League and missed out on Champions League places. And although he won the FA Cup, the club’s cfief executive, Ed Woodward, told him in a face-to-face meeting on Monday that his time was up.
His backroom staff, consisting of Frans Hoek, Albert Stuivenberg and Max Reckers, were also informed their contracts were being terminated.
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