Man Utd quietly seeks alternative to Moyes

Manager David Moyes' future at Old Trafford became uncertain when it was reported that Man Utd's board of directors had met with Louis van Gaal.

The British newspaper Mirror reported on April 11 that a delegation from Man Utd, including a member of the Glazers family, met Van Gaal at a secret location in Europe in the past two days. Newspapers from the Netherlands also reported about this secret meeting at about the same time.

Van Gaal (right) has a close relationship with Van Persie, his favorite student in the Dutch national team and also a veteran at Man Utd.

Van Gaal is currently in charge of the Netherlands national team, but his contract with the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) will expire after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this summer. The 62-year-old has confirmed he will not renew his contract and the KNVB has already found a replacement for him, with another familiar face, Guus Hiddink.

Van Gaal has made no secret of his intention to look for a Premier League club as a new destination, after having led clubs in the Netherlands (Ajax, AZ), Spain (Barca), and Germany (Bayern).

Tottenham was said to be the first club to contact this veteran coach to invite him to replace Tim Sherwood. However, the negotiations between the two sides reached a dead end and the interest of Man Utd was also the reason why Van Gaal hesitated before Tottenham's offer.

The latest moves by Man Utd's board of directors have further fueled rumors about the possibility of current coach David Moyes being fired, to pave the way for the arrival of the Dutch coach.

David Moyes is likely to be sacked due to Man Utd's poor results this season, despite being given a six-year contract when he replaced Ferguson last summer.

Moyes was chosen by his legendary predecessor Alex Ferguson to succeed him, but his first season leading Man Utd was not as smooth as the former Everton coach had hoped. Man Utd broke a series of unwanted records, were eliminated from domestic Cups, had an early chance to defend the championship and had almost no hope of finishing in the Top 4 of the Premier League.

Moyes' last hope of winning a trophy this season was dashed midweek when the team lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich in the second leg of the quarter-finals and was eliminated from the Champions League. This defeat, combined with a poor Premier League position, means that Man Utd are unlikely to qualify for next season's Champions League after 17 years in this competition.

According to VnExpress