Former Manchester United boss David Moyes offers backing to Louis van Gaal

“I don’t think Manchester United should become a sacking club”, he said during an appearance on BBC yesterday.

“They can win the second leg and go through”.

Mellon is talking at Lilleshall, the national sports and conference centre, in Shropshire, where his players have been preparing for Monday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at home against United – a game that is probably about as appealing to Louis van Gaal right now as that lukewarm soup. How could anyone forget about the eye poking incident- where Mourinho poked his finger in the eye of then Barcelona assistant manager Tito Vilanova in the midst of a touchline scuffle or the dropping of Chelsea physio Eva Carneiro from the Chelsea bench because of her going onto the pitch to tend to an injured player. Mourinho is expected to be at Inter’s match with Sampdoria on Saturday night but said: “I go for a day to personally say thanks to my president Mister Moratti”.

“I personally think United have recruited well for the future, but that doesn’t help them at the moment”. “I don’t search for clubs, clubs search for me”. That’s why Van Gaal has been given this timetable.

Ryan Giggs didn’t learn how to pass the ball effectively until he was 32. “There was a lot of experience on the course, we were the first ones that were through St George’s Park, so it was terrific the experiences that we all brought together”.

Reports suggest senior figures have called for Van Gaal to be shown the exit door but it is Woodward who has the final say. And, though it is not his principle motive, there is a very real chance, should he inflict defeat on United, that Mellon could precipitate Giggs’s progress into management.

The Portuguese hinted he has several options for his next job in management.

It’s just unfathomable and beyond unacceptable that United is now losing to teams that you’ve never heard of.

The reason I thought Moyes was a good choice for United was that utopian concept he could be a “long-term” option, and that was about an absolute disaster. I really do not know, but one thing is certain – I love football and I will return with the same passion and ambition I’ve always had. “I want my players to believe”.