Report: Mourinho to be appointed Manchester United manager this week

Manchester United's conquest of the FA Cup reportedly won't save Louis van Gaal.

According to Sam Wallace and Jeremy Wilson of The Telegraph, Mourinho is to be appointed United's manager this week in place of Van Gaal, who will not see out the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.

Related: Lingard's dramatic goal secures United's record-tying 12th FA Cup

Although Wallace and Wilson's report was published exactly 30 minutes after United defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 in the 135th FA Cup final, the agreement between the Red Devils and Mourinho was apparently reached at the end of last week. The club allegedly waited until the season's conclusion and kept talks extremely close, as the "delicate nature of the negotiations have required complete secrecy and the timing of it needed to be sensitive to Van Gaal, for whom the United board including chief executive Ed Woodward have the highest regard."

Mourinho, unemployed since he parted company with Chelsea "by mutual consent," boasts a 63.55-percent win record as manager, and it's reportedly his wish that he is given the entire to summer to prepare for his inaugural campaign in northern England.

Whether Van Gaal knew of United's decision before the FA Cup final remains unknown, but AS reported before kick-off that the Red Devils were set to appoint Mourinho on a three-year deal regardless of the result, and the Dutch manager was all smiles as the Red Devils collected their silverware.

"It is fantastic to win this title for the club, for the fans, and also for me because I now have won the cup in four countries, and not many managers have done that," Van Gaal said. "With 10 players, and we have played Tuesday evening also, but we have deserved it I think. It was a super goal eh?"

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