adminLONDON. — Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal said he has fulfilled a lifelong ambition to take charge at Old Trafford as his axing was confirmed on Monday night.
The Dutchman was not able to see out his three-year deal at United, lasting only two years and he leaves just days after winning the FA Cup on Saturday at Wembley.
United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League this season and a turgid style of play ultimately proved to be the undoing of Van Gaal
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is set to take over from Van Gaal, with an announcement set for later this week.
And van Gaal hit out at Manchester United on Monday night after they announced his sacking.
The club confirmed the Dutchman had been axed after two seasons in charge at 8:30pm.
But Van Gaal made it clear he was not happy at getting the boot after winning the club’s 12th FA Cup on Saturday, and believes he has laid the foundations for successor Jose Mourinho to reap the rewards. Van Gaal said: “I am very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan.
“I believe that the foundations are firmly in place to enable the club to move forward and achieve even greater success.
“I hope that winning the FA Cup will give the club a platform to build upon next season to restore the success that this passionate set of fans desire.”
Van Gaal spent more than EIGHT hours on Monday thrashing out his pay off at United.
The outgoing United boss cleared his desk at Carrington as Mourinho packed up at his London home to make his move to Manchester.
United’s statement on Van Gaal’s sacking stated an announcement on his replacement would be “soon”.
That could be in the next 24 hours as Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes was expected to arrive in England yesterday to sort out the final details for his man to take the reins at Old Trafford.
His first piece of business will be to get the deal over the line to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovich to the club.
The Sweden striker is a free agent after leaving Paris St-Germain in the summer.
He will command wages of around £250 000-a-week but Mourinho has told United he wants him and the club will pay up with a £200m transfer kitty available to the incoming boss.
Van Gaal arrived at United’s training ground at 8:45am on Monday after demanding answers from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward about his future.
The Dutchman is believed to have been livid he was left in the dark despite reports that Mourinho was set to take charge coming out moments after United lifted the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday.
League Manager’s Association lawyer Paul Gilroy arrived at Carrington at 9:30am which signalled severance talks were about to get underway.
Van Gaal did not leave Carrington until close to 5pm when he was chauffeured out of the training ground by a security guard. — The Daily Star.
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