Jose Mourinho Reportedly 'Certain' He Will Land Manchester United Manager's Job

Jose Mourinho is reportedly "certain" he will replace Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager with Ryan Giggs and Sir Alex Ferguson "surrendering" in their attempts to see the Welshman promoted instead.

Giggs is currently Van Gaal's assistant and has long been seen as the alternative option to Mourinho as the Dutchman's successor should he be sacked this summer, per Simon Mullock in the Mirror.

However, according to Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News, Mourinho now "expects" to take over as United boss despite having not yet signed a contract with the Old Trafford club.

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Luckhurst added that Mourinho's appointment could bring to a close Giggs' 28-year association with United, as the Portuguese "is expected to bring his own backroom staff to the club."

The Telegraph's James Ducker also reported Mourinho, 53, "has told friends he is increasingly confident about succeeding [Van Gaal]" in the summer.

Van Gaal has come under increasing pressure this season as United have crashed out of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, continued to struggle in their attempts to secure a top-four Premier League finish and put in consistently uninspiring performances.

They are four points back from fourth-placed Arsenal in the English top flight, but if United can overhaul the Gunners and qualify for next season's Champions League, that could still "thwart Mourinho" in his ambition to take over, per Luckhurst.

FA Cup glory could also go some way to saving Van Gaal's job, with United set to face Everton in the semi-finals on Saturday.

However, even if United finish in the top four and win the FA Cup, there is still unlikely to be much support for Van Gaal seeing out the final year of his three-year contract at Old Trafford.

His appointment following David Moyes' calamitous tenure at Old Trafford was meant to prompt a resurgence from United, and the former Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Ajax manager was expected to oversee renewed title challenges.

Instead, he has installed a stultifying style of play at the club and consistently disappointed even in victory—see football writer Sam Pilger's reaction to United's 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday:

Despite an ignominious end to his second spell in charge at Chelsea—he was sacked in December with the Blues lying 16th in the league—Mourinho is still widely regarded as one of the world's top managers.

Bleacher Report's Dean Jones believes he would be a significant upgrade on Van Gaal:

Given his experience of winning the Premier League three times at Chelsea, he could certainly be the man to return United to title contention.

And it seems his appointment is moving ever closer as Mourinho becomes increasingly confident of landing his dream job.