But United had finished fifth in the Premier League and thereby missed out on a lucrative Champions League place, which proved the final straw for the club’s US-based owners.
The Glazer family didn’t let United’s first piece of silverware since the 2013 retirement of legendary boss Alex Ferguson stop them from wielding the axe on 64-year-old Van Gaal.
The Dutchman cleared out his office at United’s Carrington training ground on Monday after talks over a settlement for the final year of his three-year contract — worth a reported £6.4 million ($9.2 million, 8.2 million euros) per year.
The Daily Mirror newspaper reported that Mourinho called Van Gaal in the last few weeks to warn him that United had sounded him out about the Old Trafford job.
Mourinho worked under Van Gaal at Barcelona in the late 1990s and made the call to preserve their long-standing friendship, the tabloid said.
The Times newspaper said it understood Van Gaal would have left United without a pay-off — as he has at previous clubs — had the Red Devils handled his dismissal better.
It said he finally agreed a severance package of £4.55 million.
United goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel believes Mourinho is the right man to get the club back on track.
“They have a guy that is supposed to be the biggest manager in the world, the one that really could save Manchester United,” the Dane told the BBC.
“It has been a brave decision but one that is long overdue.”
AFP
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