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Jose Mourinho

LONDON. — Jose Mourinho will be appointed the new Manchester United boss this week.

News that the Special One could be set for Old Trafford broke just hours after United’s FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Mourinho declined to comment about the job when asked at ringside ahead of David Haye’s bout in London on Saturday night.

United are expected to announce Louis Van Gaal’s departure today and will officially unveil Mourinho as manager by tomorrow.

Starsport understands the reports suggesting Mourinho is on his way are true and the deal is just days away from completion.

Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had been reluctant to give van Gaal the boot sooner for two big reasons.

Firstly, up until the last day of the season, Van Gaal had every chance of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.

That, added with silverware in the form of the FA Cup, would have likely saved the Dutchman his job.

Secondly, Woodward was well aware that axing LVG would reflect badly on him.

Van Gaal was his first big appointment in his role at Old Trafford and he was desperate to ensure that wasn’t seen as a failure. But he knows Mourinho won’t hang around forever and after finishing fifth and seeing LVG booed by his own fans during an end-of-season speech, Woodward has finally decided to bring the Special One in.

Super-agent Jorge Mendes tried to force United’s hand earlier this month by claiming the ex-Chelsea boss was in talks with Paris St-Germain.

But this was no more than a tactic designed to spur United into action to try and get a deal done.

Mendes will now jet into England from China to negotiate a deal tomorrow with confirmation expected soon after.

Talks are likely to progress smoothly with Mourinho desperate for the job and United having huge cash resources to hand him whatever contract he’s after.

Mourinho will be handed a bumper war-chest of £300 million to spend on new players with Raphael Varane, Joao Mario and Paul Pogba on his transfer wish-list.

He is also likely to ponder a deal to bring Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.

Van Gaal had remained defiant in the post-match press conference but now his time is up.

He said: “I show you the cup and I don’t discuss it (my future) with my friends of the media, who already sacked me for six months. Which manager can do what I have done?”

When asked if he will still be in charge next season. he said: “I hope to see you. I don’t want to talk about about leaving this club.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho has congratulated Van Gaal on winning the FA Cup with Manchester United.

The Red Devils secured their first major trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 with a 2-1 win in extra-time against Crystal Palace.

Moments after the final whistle, reports emerged that Mourinho would replace Van Gaal at Old Trafford this week.

But the former Chelsea boss has refused to confirm whether he is bound for Manchester, instead only congratulating United on their win at Wembley.

Asked by Sky Sports what he made of Van Gaal’s triumph in the final, Mourinho said: “Many congratulations.”

He shook his head when asked if he had a message for United fans and would not respond to questions about whether he was excited for talks with the Red Devils this week.

Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in December but has been linked with the United job ever since. — The Daily Star.