Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal was back at his desk on Monday morning amid speculation he is about to be replaced by Jose Mourinho.
The pressure increased on Van Gaal on Saturday when United stretched their winless run to six matches with an embarrassing home defeat to Norwich.
United’s latest loss saw them drop out of the top four in the Premier League and the club’s supporters made their feelings known during the match and after the final whistle.
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The home fans left inside Old Trafford booed their team off following the 2-1 defeat and some cried Mourinho’s name during the game.
Mourinho is a free agent following his sacking by Chelsea and the Portuguese has made it known he would be happy taking over at Old Trafford if a vacancy arises in the near future.
Although he is expected to fly to Portugal to spend some time with his family this week, Mourinho has no plans to take a sabbatical and
United are thought to be one of four big European clubs the 52-year-old would consider joining.
United refused to comment on speculation that Van Gaal has two games to save his job, but it is understood the Dutchman was at the club’s training base in Carrington yesterday continuing his work as normal.
In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s defeat, Van Gaal insisted he had the support of United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and the players.
The United manager said: “Ed was very fast out of the dressing room but I feel that support, yes. The most important support is from the players because the players have to do it on the pitch and the chemistry between the players and the manager and his staff is very important.”
United playmaker Juan Mata, meanwhile, insists he and his team-mates can arrest their slump over the next week when they face Stoke and Chelsea.
Addressing fans in his weekly blog, the Spaniard wrote: “We are really disappointed for not giving you what you deserve, because your support is amazing and unconditional, but I’m sure that we will turn this situation around.
“We are in a complicated situation and in order to get out of it we have to stick together and believe in ourselves so we can get a positive result as soon as possible.”
