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“I am very disappointed”: Man Utd sack van Gaal

Manchester United has sacked manager Louis van Gaal, two days after the Dutchman led them to victory in the FA Cup final.

May 24, 2016, updated May 24, 2016
Louis van Gaal waves goodbye as he is driven out of Carrington, near Manchester United's Trafford Training Ground, on Monday afternoon, UK time.

Louis van Gaal waves goodbye as he is driven out of Carrington, near Manchester United's Trafford Training Ground, on Monday afternoon, UK time.

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is widely expected to be appointed as his successor.

News of Van Gaal’s impending departure leaked out minutes after Saturday’s 2-1 Wembley victory over Crystal Palace and, was confirmed by both overnight, Australian time.

“I’d like to thank Louis and his staff for their excellent work in the past two years culminating in winning a record-equalling 12th FA Cup for the club (and securing him a title in four different countries),” executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said in a statement on the club website.

“He has behaved with great professionalism and dignity throughout his time here. He leaves us with a legacy of having given several young players the confidence to show their ability on the highest stage.”

Van Gaal, however, was not so happy to be moving on.

“I am very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan,” he said. “I believe that the foundations are firmly in place to enable the club to move forward and achieve even greater success.

“I am immensely proud to have helped United win the FA Cup for the 12th time in the club’s history,” said van Gaal.

Despite being sacked so soon after winning it, van Gaal said he will cherish winning the FA Cup.

“I have been privileged during my management career to have won 20 trophies but winning the FA Cup, which is steeped in so much history, will always be one of the most special achievements of my career,” he said.

“I hope that winning the FA Cup will give the club a platform to build upon next season to restore the success that this passionate set of fans desire.

That Cup success, however, could not gloss over a season in which United finished fifth in the standings, missing out on Champions League qualification.

Van Gaal lifted the club from seventh place in the league under Moyes to fourth in his first season but, despite more lavish spending in the transfer market, the team stagnated and the fans became increasingly disgruntled.

United briefly topped the table at the end of September, but by mid-December had dropped out of the top four after humiliating back-to-back defeats by promoted clubs Bournemouth and Norwich City.

Failing to qualify for the knockout stage of this season’s Champions League, after finishing third in their group behind VfL Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven, was another damaging blow for Van Gaal.

Losing to arch-rivals Liverpool in the Europa League increased the pressure on him.

“It has been an honour to manage such a magnificent club as Manchester United FC, and in doing so, I have fulfilled a long-held ambition,” Van Gaal added.

“Thank you to the owners and board of Manchester United for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club.”

-Reuters

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