As Mourinho rumours gain strength, Rooney admits United fell short

Wayne Rooney admitted Manchester United have fallen short of expectations despite winning the FA Cup as rumours swirled that Louis van Gaal is set to be replaced by Jose Mourinho.
United manager Van Gaal was in defiant mood on Saturday as he celebrated United’s 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace by parading the FA Cup in front of the media while refusing to discuss the growing possibility he will be sacked in the next few days.
Just minutes after the final whistle at Wembley signalled United’s first trophy in Van Gaal’s two-year reign, reports emerged that former Chelsea boss Mourinho was on the verge of agreeing a deal to take charge at
Old Trafford.
Van Gaal has endured months of speculation about his future during a troubled campaign which saw United fail to qualify for the Champions League amid fan unrest and talk of a dressing room mutiny against the former Barcelona boss. It appears the gritty victory over Palace, a success achieved with 10 men after Chris Smalling’s red card, won’t be enough to save Van Gaal and United captain Rooney conceded the manager and his players had underachieved this term.
Asked about the pressure on Van Gaal over the last few months, Rooney said: “That’s part of playing for Manchester United and managing Manchester United. It’s a massive club. You have to set yourself standards and we fell below them this season.
“Obviously we wanted to finish in the Champions League. I’ve said before that I’m disappointed where we finished this season. We have to make sure as a group of players we get back to those standards and we start challenging for the main trophies.”
Rooney refused to directly answer questions about Van Gaal’s future, but the England star did offer an sympathetic view of his manager’s perilous situation. “My knowledge about that is nothing at all. That’s a question for Louis van Gaal,” he said. “I don’t want to speak about Louis van Gaal leaving. He’s still our manager and I think it’s a bit unfair after we’ve just won the FA Cup to speak about him as if he isn’t here. I think he’s a good manager. I’m grateful he’s helped us win this FA Cup.”
United’s first FA Cup triumph since 2004 ended their wait for a first major piece of silverware since legendary boss Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. But failing to qualify for the Champions League in 2014 prompted United’s owners, the Glazer family, to sack Ferguson’s hand-picked successor David Moyes and Van Gaal may well suffer the same fate.
Mourinho gave no comment while at David Haye’s fight against Arnold Gjergjaj at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, but his agent Jorge Mendes is reportedly working to complete the Portuguese coach’s long-held dream of managing United.
United defender Daley Blind, a fellow Dutchman, said Van Gaal was in good spirits after the final and loyally insisted he wants the coach to stay. “It is a great atmosphere and the team is really close. The manager was very happy afterwards, like everybody else,” Blind said. “It is the first time I have heard that Jose Mourinho will take over. Do I want Louis van Gaal to stay on as manager? Yes. I just hope the manager stays.”
United defender Smalling was in the dark about talk of Mourinho succeeding Van Gaal. “There’s not been anything mentioned, just celebrations in the dressing room,” he said. “I’ve got no idea. We are just going to enjoy the celebrations.”

Neville tips Mourinho to make quick success of United job
Jose Mourinho may not last long as Manchester United manager but will bring trophies to Old Trafford, according to former Reds defender Phil Neville.
United may have won Saturday’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace but within minutes of lifting the trophy at Wembley there were reports that manager Louis van Gaal was about to be sacked and replaced by former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
For all that United won the FA Cup, they didn’t make a sustained challenge for the Premier League title and failed to qualify for the Champions League this season. United fans were also unhappy with the brand of football their team played under Dutch boss Van Gaal, which many felt ran counter to the club’s traditional attacking style.
Mourinho saw his second spell as Chelsea manager end with the sack in December after last season’s champions made a miserable start to the defence of their Premier League title. The Portuguese manager may have won trophies in several European leagues but has never stayed at one club longer than three years and three months he racked up in his first spell with Chelsea.
“I can’t see him staying too long at Man United, maybe two or three years, that seems to be his shelf life at a football club,” Neville told BBC Radio yesterday. “When Jose finishes at a club it tends to be a pattern where he falls out with a few players, he gets disgruntled and the team dips. It happened at Chelsea, it certainly happened at Real Madrid where there were rumours he fell out with a few players. It’s a pattern with Jose, he comes into a club, he gets success but he doesn’t stay for too long.”
United have now failed to finish higher than fourth in the Premier League in any of the three seasons since legendary manager Alex Ferguson retired.
Neville believes Mourinho, who won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, can transform their fortunes. “He’s a proven winner, a proven champion,” Neville said. “United fans want a team that will challenge for the league title, not a team that finishes seventh or fifth, and Jose is probably the man for the job. Knowing Jose as I do, I think he will have done his homework and he’s meticulous in his planning.
“Don’t be surprised if United in the next month, and particularly before the Euros, sign three or four players and when he gets to pre-season he has his squad already in place. He knows who he wants and at the start he will demand United sign those players for United to become championship challengers again.”