Report: Van Gaal offered to resign after Manchester United's loss to Southampton

Louis van Gaal was ready to resign from his position as Manchester United manager after Sunday's 1-0 home defeat to Southampton, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward convinced the Dutchman to rethink his future with his family, the Guardian's Jamie Jackson reports.

Van Gaal, who took a few days off to celebrate his daughter's birthday in the Netherlands, will return to take over first-team training in Manchester on Tuesday. He will then hold talks with Woodward, who is not keen on making a managerial change halfway through the season, according to Jackson.

A loss to Championship side Derby County in the FA Cup on Friday could, however, lead to a mutual parting of ways.

Earlier reports from Sky Sports and The Telegraph on Monday confirmed that Woodward had spoken to senior players at Old Trafford to gauge their opinions of Van Gaal.

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The mood was particularly negative on the weekend, as United managed just a single shot on target and conceded defeat when Southampton's new signing, Charlie Austin, emerged as a substitute to score the game's only goal.

Boos rained down on Van Gaal and his players, and the 64-year-old admitted after the match that it was justified.

"Of course they are disappointed and they have the right to boo me but we have to stick together in this period because we have a lot of injuries," he said.

Woodward has remained loyal to Van Gaal, despite overwhelming criticism of United's monotonous results. Woodward prefers to wait until the end of the campaign to make any change - if at all necessary, according to Jackson - but he will continue to review Van Gaal's job.

It is believed Woodward is the only one at the club tasked with reaching a decision about the manager's role. Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the longtime bench boss who is now serving as a director and ambassador, doesn't have a direct voice when it comes to the decision-making process, adds Jackson.

Jose Mourinho, who has reportedly written a letter explaining his case for the job, is still a candidate, while Ryan Giggs, Van Gaal's assistant coach, could take charge on an interim basis.

Van Gaal, with one more year left on his contract, reportedly considered leaving during the Christmas period, but later snapped at reporters for suggesting he had been sacked.