Sources: van Gaal's United future in limbo amid rumors
Louis van Gaal's future as Manchester United manager remained in the balance on Tuesday, sources tell FOXSoccer.com. Although it seems the 64-year-old could save his job if United wins its next two games, it's also believed there have been talks between the club's hierarchy with Jose Mourinho that have moved beyond the tentative.
Social media in the U.K. was sent into a frenzy on Tuesday evening when a prank tweet was sent from the phone of the former QPR and England midfielder Trevor Sinclair claiming van Gaal had been sacked.
The reported firing sparked speculation that Mourinho, who left Chelsea by mutual consent last Thursday, was set to take over. His agent Jorge Mendes, though, has denied formal contact between Mourinho and United -- although he did so in a way that was far from unambiguous, particularly given the apparent closeness of the relationship between Mendes and the United chief executive Ed Woodward. "There is nothing," Mendes told Portuguese website Globo Esporte. "We do not know what will happen in the future, for now there is no agreement, no official proposal. This is not true."
It's understood that van Gaal was told before Saturday's game against Norwich that he needed to take six points from the following three matches: that is, the game vs. Norwich; the away fixture at Stoke City on Boxing Day; the home game against Chelsea on Dec. 28. A 2-1 defeat leaves van Gaal needing two wins to hit that target.
While it seems that some at United thought or at least hoped he would resign after that game -- and van Gaal did hint he would walk away if he felt he had lost the support of the club -- it seems they intend to stick to their word. A failure to win at Stoke, though, would still leave the tantalizing possibility of Mourinho being parachuted in before the game against his former club. In reality that is unlikely, not only because of the time frame, but because Mourinho has returned to Portugal to spend Christmas week with his family.
There is also some resistance among certain United directors to appointing a figure as abrasive as Mourinho. Bobby Charlton has in the past spoken of the turmoil Mourinho tends to leave in his wake and, while the former England midfielder's influence has waned, he is not the only influential figure with reservations.
There have been further discussions about van Gaal's future since the Norwich defeat but, for now, van Gaal remains in the job.
