Manchester United has fired manager Louis van Gaal, Old Trafford sources have informed Goal UK. The 64-year-old Dutchman led United to its first FA cup victory since 2004 on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Manager Louis Van Gaal Reportedly Fired By Manchester United

However, celebrations were rapidly overshadowed by rumors surrounding Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho’s imminent arrival.

Van Gaal served only two years as United’s manager, and was officially terminated on Monday. The team scored only 49 league goals this season. In his first season as United’s manager, van Gaal led the team to a fourth-place finish. He was originally signed on to a three-year contract, and is believed to earn around £6.4m a year.

Mourinho, 53, has been unemployed ever since being fired by Chelsea FC in December but is poised to return to Old Trafford. He won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2005, 2006 and 2015.

Man U missed out on qualification for the Champions League this year (the club exited the league at the group stage this season). The club reportedly spent approximately 250 million pounds ($362 million) on new players during Van Gaal’s reign.

Van Gaal issued the following statement regarding his firing on Monday evening:

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

I am immensely proud to have helped United win the FA Cup for the 12th time in the club’s history. 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.

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

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.

Having managed in Holland, Spain and Germany, I had always hoped for the opportunity to manage in English football and be part of English culture. Both of these experiences have lived up to expectations and been fantastic.

I thank my players and wish them well for next season. It has been a pleasure to work with them and it has been particularly rewarding to see so many young players take their chance to break into the first team and excel. I look forward to watching the continued development of these young players next season.

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

United has now failed to finish in the top three since Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season in charge, when the team won the league in 2013. Ryan Giggs was also onsite Monday morning, but he left around an hour later. The Welshman’s future is unknown with Mourinho’s appointment as manager on the horizon. Mourinho has stated that he may bring Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic to United when he officialy takes charge on Tuesday after meeting with senior team officials.

Manchester United Manager Louis Van Gaal isn’t feeling the holiday spirit. With rumors that he will be fired and replaced by Jose Mourinho swirling, the Dutchman was not in a good mood during this week’s mandatory press conference.

“Has anybody in this room not the feeling to apologize to me,” he began. “Nobody has that feeling? That’s what I’m wondering.”

When a reporter asked what the media had done wrong, the manager pointed towards rumors of his eminent sacking. “I think I was already sacked,” he explained. “I read that I have been sacked. My colleague was here already. What do you think that happens with my wife or with my kids or with my grandchildren or with the fans of Manchester United or my friends? What do you think? They have called me a lot of times. Do you think that I want to talk with the media now? I’m here only because of the Premier League rules. I have to talk with you.”

The rumor that Van Gaal was sacked began with a tweet from former Manchester City player Trevor Sinclair. He later explained that he left his phone on the table at a party and someone else had sent the message. Even after the correction, the rumor continued to snowball.

When asked if speculation comes with being the manager of a struggling club, Van Gaal said he did not think that was the case. “I don’t think that you can do that because you have to stick by the facts,” he said.

“I only say now that I am focused on Stoke City [who United play on Boxing Day],” the manger concluded. “I wish you a merry Christmas and maybe also a happy New Year when I see you.” He then left the press conference.

Photo: Manager Louis van Gaal by Paul Blank. Photo via Wikimedia Commons