Manchester United silent as 'Jose Mourinho to Old Trafford' rumours fly

On Friday evening it was reported by the BBC and the Manchester Evening News that discussions have taken place.

Mourinho, who left Chelsea in December, is widely expected to be considered a contender for the role of United manager should Louis van Gaal depart Old Trafford in the summer.

United offered no response to the report, the latest to link Mourinho with Van Gaal's job.

Van Gaal has a year remaining on his contract after this season, in which he has attracted considerable criticism for the defensive, slow and possession-based style he has brought to United.

Rivals Manchester City announced on Monday that Bayern Munich's former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola will become their manager in the summer, and United will not want to lose ground on their neighbours.

Mourinho won the Premier League title three times with Chelsea and has achieved success wherever he has managed, including Porto, Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Van Gaal claimed on Friday that Wayne Rooney was wrong to say United, who play Mourinho's former side Chelsea on Sunday, are now playing with greater freedom.

United captain Rooney suggested after last week's FA Cup victory at Derby that manager Van Gaal had released some of the shackles on the team.

These sentiments were echoed by midfielder Jesse Lingard after United produced one of their best displays of the season to beat Stoke 3-0 in the Barclays Premier League in midweek.

But Van Gaal claims it is more a case of Rooney and Lingard finding form.

He said: "I'm not agreeing with the remark of Wayne Rooney when he said that because it is only that they have more confidence.

"And it is especially so with Wayne Rooney, who is saying that because he has scored seven goals (in seven games). He can say that he is playing with more freedom because he has more confidence.

"But you want to write in your paper that it's because he gets another training session in another style, because Louis van Gaal gives more freedom - no, it is still the same.

"We train still the same way. It is not because of the change of attitude of Mr Louis van Gaal or another way of training. No. I'm sorry to say that. We are always working hard and very professionally in the philosophy of Louis van Gaal.

"And that is also for Jesse Lingard."

Juan Mata has also impressed in his preferred number 10 position in the last two games, leading some observers to ask why the Spaniard has not played in that role more often.

Van Gaal claims it is because the former Chelsea man was not in good enough form last time he tried him there.

He said: "I have already played Mata in the same role. Maybe you remember that. I'm not changing him from that role, he has changed himself because at that time he wasn't good enough. That is the reason.

"It is not the trainer-coach or the manager, but when he is playing like he has played now he shall play at number 10."

[STILL IN IT? Van Gaal insists United still in title race - and Chelsea clash will show if he's right]

But the Manchester Evening News's Samuel Luckhurst says that "Van Gaal is far from out of the woods", and that the club's owners are still pursuing Mourinho in case they decide to pull the trigger.

"The club is still open to the possibility of Mourinho managing at Old Trafford, despite opposition from influential members," the report adds, before detailing United's cosy relationship with Mourinho's agent.

United would be crazy not to have opened talks with Jose Mourinho. The word is that they knew full well Pep Guardiola was never an option for Old Trafford, and therefore Mourinho is the single best-qualified available candidate for the job (and arguably the best-qualified of even the unavailable candidates). Not to have set up talks would have been a dereliction of duty.

The question is whether those talks will amount to anything more than hot air. And right now, things don't seem quite as certain on that score as the did after United's one-sided defeat by Southampton on the evening of 23rd January.

If United hadn't followed up that embarrassing drubbing by Southampton with a solid FA Cup win over Derby and a thumping league win over Stoke, the decision to fire Van Gaal might be much closer than it now looks. Yet the manner of those two matches - and particularly the latter - suggest that United's players might finally be cutting loose under Van Gaal.

[NEW APPROACH? Lingard: Manchester United getting better because 'we're playing with freedom']

United could potentially end the weekend eight points adrift of the top four, but they could also end up within four points of second spot and breathing down the necks of Tottenham and Arsenal, should results go their way. The potential for movement within the top flight's top six over the next few weeks is astonishing - and with each twist in the road, there will be fresh intrigue over who is in charge of the Red Devils come the start of next season.