Louis van Gaal to Reportedly Face Manchester United Sack Even If Team Win FA Cup

Louis van Gaal will be sacked by Manchester United whether or not his team lift the FA Cup this season, per the Mirror’s David McDonnell.

Van Gaal’s long-term position at Old Trafford has been unstable since enduring a difficult debut campaign in English football. However, he was retained at the end of last season after achieving Champions League qualification through a fourth-place finish, something previous coach David Moyes was unable to claim during his tenure at the helm.

United reached the final four of the FA Cup following a 2-0 win over West Ham United at Upton Park on Wednesday and will now face Everton in the semi-finals of the tournament on Saturday April 23. 

According to McDonnell, the United hierarchy have already made their decision over Van Gaal’s future at the Theatre of Dreams and will not be swayed even if the experienced Dutch boss—who enters the final year of his contract next term—leads his side to cup glory. The club are believed to be preparing for Jose Mourinho to take over the managerial position.

However, despite reports of Mourinho’s impending arrival on the red side of Manchester, United may actually be readying themselves to appoint assistant manager Ryan Giggs to the role, per Adriano Boin of Marca.

The Premier League heavyweights, sitting one place outside the lucrative top-four positions, are reportedly unwilling to appoint a coach who could "overshadow" the club. Mourinho is known for his controversial comments and touchline behaviour, and team officials are cautious to hand the Portuguese boss complete control.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Per Boin, the Glazer family—who own the club—would prefer to hand long-serving former player Giggs a promotion. The Welshman made his debut in 1991 for the Red Devils, going on to spend the remainder of his 23-year playing career at the club before moving into an assistant coaching role.

With the managerial positions at Europe’s elite clubs almost all sewn up ahead of next season, Mourinho’s next job remains unclear. A return to Real Madrid is a possibility, despite fan favourite Zinedine Zidane only being appointed boss in January.

Per Mark Critchley of the Independent, former club president Ramon Calderon told Mundo Deportivo earlier this month that Mourinho will be appointed as Real head coach for a second time if United decide to look elsewhere. 

A move to Ligue 1 may also be a possibility for the self-titled "Special One," with Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc coming under increased scrutiny for his failures in the Champions League.

The big-spending Parisians were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of Europe's premier club competition following a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Manchester City. Blanc inflamed rumours he was set for the chop after the match by claiming “the buck stops with me,” per David Woods of the Daily Star. 

However, in the same article Woods claimed a source close to two-time Champions League-winning manager Mourinho has revealed he will turn down the opportunity to move to the French capital after receiving assurance he is line for the United seat.