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Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United .

The Dutch coach left the club just two days after the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace , where a Jesse Lingard goal in extra time gave the 10-man Reds the victory after a pulsating game.

Jose Mourinho is expected to take over, having been linked with the job for the last six months.

It brings to an end an eventful two years in charge at Old Trafford for Van Gaal.

United finally confirmed the news in a statement at 8.30pm.

A statement from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward read: "I would like to thank Louis and his staff for their excellent work in the past two years culminating in winning a record-equalling 12th FA Cup for the club (and securing him a title in four different countries).

"He has behaved with great professionalism and dignity throughout his time here. He leaves us with a legacy of having given several young players the confidence to show their ability on the highest stage. Everyone at the club wishes him all the best in the future."

Arriving after guiding Holland to a third-placed finish at the World Cup, the 64-year-old spoke of his pride at taking charge of "the biggest club of the world" and his ambition: "for me, the challenge is always to come first, not fourth," he said in his first press conference.

Van Gaal thanked the "amazing" United fans for their support in a statement.

In a lengthy farewell statement Van Gaal said: "It has been an honour to manage such a magnificent club as Manchester United FC, and in doing so, I have fulfilled a long-held ambition.

"I am immensely proud to have helped United win the FA Cup for the 12th time in the club's history. I have been privileged during my management career to have won 20 trophies but winning the FA Cup, which is steeped in so much history, will always be one of the most special achievements of my career.

"I am very disappointed to be unable to complete our intended three-year plan. I believe that the foundations are firmly in place to enable the club to move forward and achieve even greater success.

"I hope that winning the FA Cup will give the club a platform to build upon next season to restore the success that this passionate set of fans desire.

"Having managed in Holland, Spain and Germany, I had always hoped for the opportunity to manage in English football and be part of English culture. Both of these experiences have lived up to expectations and been fantastic.

"I thank my players and wish them well for next season. It has been a pleasure to work with them and it has been particularly rewarding to see so many young players take their chance to break into the first team and excel. I look forward to watching the continued development of these young players next season.

"Thank you to the owners and board of Manchester United for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club.

"I would also like to express my gratitude to the amazing United supporters. They are truly the best fans in the world.

"I am indebted to my support and coaching staff, who have given me their all during their time at the club.

"I am deeply grateful to each and every member of the club’s staff - the sports science team, the medical team, the kit and laundry department, club administration, the press office, the manager's team, the Academy team, ground staff and the catering team, both at Old Trafford stadium and Carrington training ground, all of whom have given me their unwavering support in my time at United. Never in my 25 years as a manager have I been so well supported in my role.

"Finally, my special thanks go to Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton for always making me and my family feel so welcome throughout my time as Manchester United manager."

A fourth-placed finish in his first season was enough to achieve Champions League qualification and raised expectations with claims that United "could have been the champions" and were "very close" to Chelsea.

But the second season has seen regression.

LIVE UPDATES IN OUR LIVE BLOG AS VAN GAAL LEAVES UNITED.

United failed to get out of a Champions League group containing PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow and lost in the Europa League to Liverpool after scraping past Dutch minnows FC Midtjylland.

Van Gaal topped the Premier League as late as November but successive league defeats to Bournemouth and Norwich in December - coupled with Mourinho's availability - saw fervent speculation over the manager's future that never fully went away.

The manager was booed at Old Trafford after the final game of the season, with United having failed to finish in the top four in a particularly poor Premier League season.

And despite winning the FA Cup, it has not been enough to save his job.