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Louis van Gaal faces his day of reckoning at Wembley, where he is set to take charge of Manchester United for the last time.

Manager Van Gaal's two-year reign is expected to end, even if United win the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

He is known to have alienated many of the players, who have become disillusioned with his training methods and tactical approach, which has ultimately seen them fall short this season.

Clubless former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is waiting in the wings, although the players believe Van Gaal will not make it easy for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to terminate his Old Trafford stay.

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They see the 64-year-old as still filled with self-pride, despite a season of disappointment.

United, having spent in excess of £250million on new players under Van Gaal, were expected to mount a title challenge this term.

Instead, they have gone backwards, finishing fifth to miss out on the Champions League, posting their lowest goals return of the Premier League era and exiting the Champions League and Europa League early.

In pictures — FA Cup finalists Man United catch the train to London:

Against that bleak backdrop, Woodward and United's owners the Glazer family are finally ready to turn to Mourinho rather than let Van Gaal see out the last year of his contract.

The Dutchman has tried to put a positive spin on his Reds failing to make the top four, stating that winning the FA Cup would make up for that as he and the players would then lay hands on a trophy.

Read more:5 possible replacements for Van Gaal

(Image: Getty)

But he knew a top-four finish was the minimum requirement from the United hierarchy this season, with a trophy considered a welcome bonus should one come along.

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In many ways, winning the FA Cup would be the perfect scenario for Van Gaal and United, enabling him to leave having delivered the first trophy of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and having handed first-team debuts to young future stars like Marcus Rashford , Jesse Lingard, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Tim Fosu-Mensah.