Louis van Gaal: Manchester United sack manager

Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United, with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho set to be named as his replacement.

Van Gaal, 64, leaves after two years of a three-year contract and is discussing severance terms.

The former Netherlands boss is believed to earn around £6.4m a year.

Mourinho's appointment is expected to be confirmed after the 53-year-old Portuguese meets senior United officials on Tuesday.

The club were expected to confirm Van Gaal's departure on Monday, having spoken to the Dutchman, but as of 17:00 BST there was no official announcement.

He arrived at Manchester United's training ground at 08:45 BST on Monday and left shortly before 17:00.

Forty-five minutes after his arrival in the morning, League Managers Association lawyer Paul Gilroy QC also drove into Carrington.

Gilroy is the same employment barrister who acted for David Moyes when he was sacked as manager by United in 2014.

He arrived at about 09:30 and was initially refused entry before being allowed in about 15 minutes later, refusing to answer questions about the reason for his presence.

According to his profile page on the Nine St John Street Chambers website, Gilroy has advised and acted for a number of football clients, including Roy Hodgson, Martin O'Neill, Sir Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp, Roy Keane, Roberto Martinez, Sam Allardyce, Brendan Rodgers, Alan Pardew, Nigel Pearson and Steve McClaren.

Van Gaal took control of United after leading the Netherlands to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.