Jose Mourinho reportedly made a call to Louis van Gaal to inform his old friend that Manchester United had contacted him about the job.
Van Gaal was sacked by United on Monday but the Dutchman must have known that particular scenario was coming having been told by Mourinho that Old Trafford chiefs wanted the Portuguese in.
According to the Daily Mirror, former Chelsea boss Mourinho was keen to preserve the relationship between the pair who worked closely together at Barcelona before the 53-year-old took over at Benfica in 2000.
Mourinho made the phone call in the past few weeks to disclose that United had indeed contracted him about the job and that he was keen to take the role at the famous club.
64-year-old van Gaal had his three-year tenure ended a year early despite guiding United to the FA Cup which was their first piece of silverware since the 2013 Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mourinho is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Red Devils this week, stepping into the vacancy left by his former mentor who helped him learn his craft in Catalonia after getting a start under Sir Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon.
