Yahoo Sport's Guillem Balague believes that Manchester United will not look to appoint Jose Mourinho as their new manager at the end of the season, predicting instead that they'll stand by current boss Louis van Gaal next term.
Van Gaal has been reportedly close to the sack on a number of occasions this season - for United's poor results and style of football - but a recent upturn in form has lessened the pressure.
Mourinho is reportedly waiting in the wings to manage United once Van Gaal does leave the club, but it appears to be turning into more of a case of 'if' as opposed to 'when'. United are believed to be keen to stand by the Dutchman until the end of his contract in 2017, and Balague agrees.
He wrote in a Yahoo Sport column: "Jose Mourinho’s long-held dream of managing Manchester United is vanishing very fast, as at this point in time Manchester United want to continue with the reign of Louis van Gaal for the coming season. King Louis is dead? Far from it.
"This will no doubt prove disappointing and even infuriating for many MU fans who, attracted by the charismatic personality of the larger-than-life Mourinho, saw him as the man to alter the style while challenging for the title and, like a latter day messiah, lead them to a new, golden age. It’s not to be, I am led to believe.
"And this despite extraordinary pressure from the Mourinho camp who, throughout the season, have mounted a ferocious media campaign to undermine van Gaal and promote the Mourinho cause, recently even stating off the record that the Mourinho/Man United marriage was a 'done deal'.
"I never believed it and that was why I always reported what they said (not once I said myself that it was a done deal, I only reported what I was being told by Mou’s camp, but of course people read what they wanted from it) and I always had to include the fact that Van Gaal has thought for a while that he was going to be in charge one more season and why I mentioned too the club kept insisting no deal for Mourinho had been agreed, no matter how many stories were published about it."
Van Gaal's future is expected to be resolved for good at the end of the season.