Ronald de Boer: LVG's Departure Badly Handled By Man. United

Ronald de Boer believes Louis van Gaal's Manchester United departure was badly handled by the club.

Jose Mourinho is expected to sign a deal to succeed Van Gaal by Thursday and will be tasked with lifting the 13-time Premier League champions after their fifth-place finish last season.

Saturday's FA Cup win over Crystal Palace was United's first piece of silverware since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.

Sky sources believe Van Gaal was informed on Sunday night that he would no longer be in charge of the club and the move was confirmed just after 8.30pm on Monday evening.

Van Gaal asked for the news of his departure not to be broken until he had boarded a flight for Portugal, and executive vice chairman Ed Woodward agreed to the request after delivering the news at the Dutchman's Manchester home, but De Boer believes Van Gaal's exit was poorly managed.

"If I just think of the owner's perspective - they were fighting for the important fourth place and the FA Cup - if they announced it before [the end of the season] that would maybe have an effect on the result," he told Sky Sports News HQ.

"I understand from the perspective that they announce it later. But still, a manager like Louis van Gaal with all his history, I don't think he deserved a goodbye like that."

However, the former Netherlands midfielder does think Mourinho will do a good job in charge of Manchester United, but must perform instantly if he wishes to keep a secure job status.

"He's a coach who gets results and that's something," he added. "He's one of the best, you only have to look at his record. We know he's a great manager.

"Of course it will be a challenge, it's not that easy at Manchester United. It's a club where there's so much pressure. Of course he can handle it but if he doesn't get the results in the first year he will face the same [consequence as LVG]."

Credit: Skysports.com