There is no getting away from the fact that Manchester United handled Louis van Gaal's dismissal poorly. With the news that Jose Mourinho would be taking over from the Dutchman in 2016 leaking within an hour of United's FA Cup final win that year, the gloss was taken off the club's first major trophy win post-Ferguson.
Most fans will agree that the time had come for Van Gaal to leave United at the end of that season but he was not afforded the dignity he deserved in his departure. "United put my head in a noose and I was publicly placed on the gallows," Van Gaal said in 2017. "The pressure was enormous with my head in the noose and they went right behind my back.