Man Utd hold talks with Mourinho over succeeding Van Gaal

Manchester United have reportedly held talks with representatives of former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho about replacing under-fire boss Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese manager has been heavily linked with United after being sacked by Chelsea in December. Reports also strengthened after it is learned that Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes had been in touch with United over the last two weeks, Sport24 reported.

However, no agreement has been reached between Mourinho and United, with the club making no comment.

Van Gaal endured severe criticism from the club's fans as well as former players over his conservative approach, with the Dutchman facing mounting pressure after United suffered an embarrassing exit from the Champions League at the group stage.

United, however, shrugged off signs of fallibility with convincing back-to-back wins over Derby County in the FA Cup fourth round and Stoke City this year and the Dutchman said that the club could still claim a 21st championship despite standing 10 points behind surprise leaders Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea just months after guiding them to the Premier League glory last season. In the wake of strained relationship with several players, the Stamford Bridge club started languishing near the relegation zone before Guus Hiddink took over as interim manager.

United will aim to beat Chelsea in a bid to revive their title hopes on Sunday.