Louis van Gaal says he was sacked by Manchester United for commercial reasons.

He has revealed that United chief Ed Woodward confessed to him that the decision to appoint manager Jose Mourinho was commercially motivated.

Van Gaal said: “Manchester United had record (financial) figures in the two years that I was there.

“And don't underestimate what that means for United. Nothing as important as the figures for United.

“Look, every big club needs a good organization. The people in charge can run the club in football way or in a commercial way.

“At Manchester United the balance has tipped well over to the commercial side.

“Were they unhappy about the results or the performances of the team under my management?

“No. But all of a sudden they could get Mourinho for the long term, a manager with a massive commercial value in the world.

“Woodward finally said this exactly so to me the day after the FA Cup Final."