Van Gaal claims his authority was undermined at United

The Dutchman came under intense scrutiny during his second season in charge of the club, but came through it to win the team the FA Cup. But it wasn't all positive, with the team finishing fifth in the league, and Van Gaal discovered he had been replaced by Jose Mourinho immediately after the cup final.

"I can imagine Woodward chooses Mourinho. He is a top coach. He has won a lot of titles. More than me", Van Gaal told the BBC.

"What I don't like is Woodward contacting my successor, knowing in his mind he will replace me and he keeps his mouth shut for six months. Every Friday I had to go into press conferences and be asked what I thought about the rumours. What does that do to the authority of the coach?"

"To win the FA Cup when, for six months, the media has a noose round my neck, is my biggest achievement," he added.

"I spoke to Woodward the day after that game. His argument was that I was only going to be there for one more year and Mourinho would be there for three, four or five. I appreciate he hired a private plane to get me back to Portugal but his arguments were not good enough."