Mourinho will be a breath of fresh air, says Gary Lim
Like LVG, Mourinho has little regard for aesthetics but the difference is, his methods work
"Louis van Gaal is to leave Manchester United, with immediate effect," confirmed Manchester United in a statement.
The statement added "a decision on a successor as manager will be announced soon".
The announcement made on Monday evening (UK time) ended the speculation over the Dutchman's future at the club, a future that reports had called time on last week.
It has also been widely reported in major media outlets that the 64-year-old Dutchman will be replaced by former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in the United hotseat.
Tthe two lacklustre seasons under van Gaal amde his exit inevitable.
It is the impending appointment of the 53-year-old Mourinho that promises intrigue for the next few months at least.
For many, the admiration is mutual.
According to ex-United players such as Rio Ferdinand, Mourinho is a born winner.
His high standing in the game is founded on the successes he attained everywhere he went - from the Portuguese Primeira Liga to English Premiership to Italian Serie A to Spanish La Liga.
The Portuguese is seen as the managerial solution that cures all ills.
United, crippled by the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson since 2013, need an instant remedy.
The FA Cup triumph last Saturday could not make up for the disappointing fifth-placed finish in the Premiership and, more importantly, the staid fare the team have been dishing out ever since van Gaal took over the reins from David Moyes in 2014.
Van Gaal had lost not only the fans, but also the dressing room, where the Red Devils were often confounded by his bizarre instructions, including a rule that requires strikers to always take a touch on the ball before they can shoot from balls coming across the penalty box.
Ironically, Mourinho himself was ejected from his post at Chelsea midway through last season because he had already lost his players by then.
And neither is he an advocate for the swashbuckling style of football that seemed to come so naturally to the Red Devils during the good old Fergie days.
His title-winning seasons with Chelsea were built around a core value of winning at all costs, with little regard for aesthetics.
But, unlike van Gaal's, his methods work.
Mourinho is "as close as you could ever get in football to guaranteeing success", said former England striker Gary Lineker on Twitter.
Rebuilding United does not require an overhaul.
BIGGEST FEAR
The biggest fear for the club this summer should sort itself out with his appointment.
Their best player David de Gea, who was disillusioned under van Gaal and considering a move, will now find it tough to leave.
That de Gea and Mourinho share the same agent, Jorge Mendes, certainly helps.
Wayne Rooney, Marouane Fellaini, Morgan Schneiderlin, Chris Smalling, Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial look likely to feature prominently in his plans.
The return of Luke Shaw from injury eases pressure on the defence.
If Mourinho can also solve the enigma that is Memphis Depay, he also has a potential world-beater in his hands.
Three, maybe four, solid signings should restore normal service for the Red Devils.
United fans can trust the charismatic Mourinho to work his charm in the transfer market.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a self-confessed admirer of his former Inter Milan coach and currently a free agent, may now swop Paris for Manchester.
Unsettled Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez, already rumoured to be on United's radar, will also follow the developments keenly.
Given his preference for combative players with a strong physical presence, Mourinho will also be expected to bring in a couple of defensive players.
His impending arrival will bring a new breath of fresh air to Old Trafford.
It leaves one to wonder what took the club so long.
"There are two ways of looking at it. It’s rock ‘n’ roll from a commercial point of view. It will catapult United back onto the front stage. They have been quiet for the last few years.
From a football decision, there is always a doubt about a new manager no matter who it is. This is at the very top and one of the people who has done it for years.
But he has to go and do it all again. The past is forgotten about and, if he thinks he has been in goldfish bowls before, he is really going to be in one now. Will he do it? It’s not simple."
- Former Manchester City striker Niall Quinn
"At the moment, he is the one who is available and, with Pep (Guardiola) going across the city at Man City, they needed something like this to compete.
Perhaps he is not the right man for getting young players through into the side but, with Jose, it’s all about winning trophies. It doesn’t matter who the personnel are. If he produces trophies for them, it won’t matter who the players are."
- Former Liverpool defender Jamie Redknapp
Five issues facing Jose
Jose Mourinho's long-anticipated arrival at Old Trafford finally looks to be here, but he is set to take over a team still in considerable flux after two unconvincing years of Louis van Gaal's stewardship.
Press Association Sport assesses five of the most pressing issues.
1 Charm de Gea
It is hard to over-estimate the importance of goalkeeper David de Gea to United's short-term prospects.
He is not only the club's best player - and possibly their only world-class one - but also a beacon to potential future signings.
Holding on to him may be tough without Champions League football, but would be the best piece of business United could do this summer.
Mourinho can command fierce commitment among those he values most and, if he can make de Gea believe in his cult of personality, it could be the trump card the Red Devils need.
2 Unify the club behind him
Mourinho was somewhat unsubtle in pitching to be Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement three years ago, but was overlooked amid suggestions that important voices behind the scenes, including Sir Bobby Charlton, did not see him as a "United man".
After failed experiments with David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, Mourinho looks to have his wish.
Instead of antagonising those who argued against his appointment, or crowing about the club's recent struggles, he must work overtime to win over his doubters.
It has been too long since there was a true consensus and the Portuguese may have to play against type to build one.
3 Overhaul the transfer policy
Since Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill departed in 2013, United's transfer business has too often veered between confused, rushed and incompetent.
They have allowed themselves to become a bargaining chip for agents, missed out on primary targets and been overcharged for others.
The investment in the past three seasons has been sizeable but the returns modest.
Mourinho is forceful enough to take the reins from Gill's successor Ed Woodward, or at least push him to be more effective.
He is not used to seeing his shopping lists unfulfilled and will not want to start now.
4 Review his youth policy
Arguably the greatest success of van Gaal's tenure was the number of academy graduates he blooded in the senior side, whether by design or circumstance.
Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard look ready to play big parts in the future, while Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have also showed promise.
At Chelsea, the most sustained criticism of the "Special One" was his disinclination to promote players from the Blues' hugely successful Under-21 team.
United fans love to see locally developed stars emerge and would not be overjoyed to see Mourinho stunt their progress.
5 Is he anti-Mata?
United's FA Cup win would not have been possible were it not for Juan Mata's equalising goal in the 81st minute.
The Spaniard has made plenty of telling contributions in his time at Old Trafford, but the feeling remains that he has never been treated as a central pillar of the side.
He would, therefore, be forgiven for thinking the arrival of the man who sold him to United in the first place was not great news.
Mourinho certainly failed to warm to Mata at Chelsea but may need to revise his opinion.
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