Van Gaal & Woodward begin planning for third season at Man Utd

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Van Gaal & Woodward begin planning for third season at Man Utd - Despite the rumours linking Jose Mourinho with the top job at Old Trafford, the club's hierarchy are still behind the Dutchman and are already looking ahead to the next campaign.

Louis van Gaal and Ed Woodward have started planning for Manchester United's summer 2016 transfer assault, despite rumours that the Dutchman is facing the sack following a troubled second season as manager at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has spent much of the 2015-16 campaign staving off various claims relating to his United future, with widespread reports having linked former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho with the 64-year-old's job.

However, Goal understands that executive vice-chairman Woodward has opened talks with Van Gaal over targets for the summer transfer window, underlining the club's previously-stated plan to stick with the former Ajax and Barcelona coach until his scheduled retirement in 2017.

United go into Thursday's Europa League round of 16 second-leg match against Liverpool with a 2-0 deficit to overturn, while their indifferent form in the Premier League has left them in sixth place with nine games to play. Added to their group-stage exit from the Champions League, there has been significant fuel for the constant speculation over a potential change of guard.

But Woodward's decision to entrust Van Gaal with transfer plans ahead of the 2016-17 season lends weight to United's insistence that there will be no panic changes at Old Trafford, as revealed by Goal last month. As such, Ryan Giggs remains the Dutchman's most likely successor at the end of the three-year contract Van Gaal signed in 2014, as per the club's succession plan.

Mourinho, who has been touted as a leading candidate to take over at Old Trafford at regular intervals since his dismissal from Chelsea in December 2015, admitted recently that he is unlikely to find a new job until the summer, despite his earlier claim through his management company that he was seeking an immediate return.

"I was lucky enough to have good options since I left Chelsea in December," he told BT Sport. "Yes I was lucky enough to have not just options but good options but I made a decision to wait calm in my corner, not disturbing, just waiting, reading a few lies, listen to a few lies.

"The reality is that I want to work and normally July, mid-July, new pre-season starts and somewhere I want to be there."

After facing Liverpool on Thursday, United head to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday for the season's second derby with neighbours Manchester City, with the two games set to be pivotal in the final reckoning on the Red Devils' currently underwhelming campaign.