Alex Ferguson distances himself from Jose Mourinho appointment to Manchester United

Paul Hayward, Alex Ferguson's ghostwriter for his autobiography, has said that Ferguson, Gill and Charlton, are not going to have much influence over Louis van Gaal's successor. You might think that this story has been sourced from Ferguson, and if Ferguson is making it clear that whatever comes next isn't his fault, then you can assume that his boy Ryan Giggs isn't going to get it. More than that, maybe Jose Mourinho, who Charlton and Ferguson opposed when David Moyes was appointed, is in line for the job. You can decipher this in the Telegraph article here.

The Mirror have linked United with Ahmed Musa of Spartak Moscow. He's quick and technically adept, which is what Van Gaal always says he wants (and then plays Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney).

In the Daily Mail, Van Gaal has quoted as saying that he will not quit, which means his negotiations for any pay-off either haven't started or haven't gone as he would have liked.

Van Gaal has talked more cack on ESPNFC.

And ahead of tonight's game, the Manchester Evening News have team news, with Phil Jones, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Matteo Darmian out injured, and Michael Carrick ready to return. If Fellaini turns up tonight then, we can assume we can all give up and do something else with our time until Van Gaal is bombed out.