Manchester United deny meeting Pep Guardiola to discuss managerial role

Manchester United have rubbished rumours they met with Pep Guardiola to discuss the chances of him replacing Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford. The 45-year-old Spaniard is reported to have held talks with United officials last week in Paris but United have strongly denied those claims.

Guardiola has already announced his intention to leave current club Bayern Munich to move to the Premier League. According to L'Equipe, the Champions League-winning coach met with high-ranking figures from Old Trafford to discuss the possibility of him becoming the club's new manager at the end of the current campaign.

However, United have denied that any such meeting took place, according to the BBC. The club also insisted they have not spoken with him about the managerial position at the club.

It is widely believed Guardiola will move to United's cross-city rivals Manchester City next season, where he would be reunited with his former Barcelona colleagues Ferran Soriano, City's chief executive, and director of football Txiki Begiristain. The trio enjoyed incredible success working together during their time in Spain and the presence of Soriano and Begiristain at the club is considered to be a major attraction for Guardiola.

He has also been linked to the managerial vacancy at Chelsea, following Jose Mourinho's sacking in December, as well as United, where current incumbent Louis van Gaal has come under intense pressure in recent weeks after a string of poor results.

Meanwhile, Guardiola recently offered an apology to Premier League managers after his announcement to leave Bayern prompted speculation about their own futures. He said he did not plan to disrupt any manager who is currently employed by a club in England.

"I'm sorry," he said, as quoted by AS. "Normally, throughout my career - both as a player and as a coach - I have shown great respect to my fellow colleagues. It wasn't my intention [to cause any upset]."

United currently sit fifth in the Premier League, seven points behind first-placed Arsenal. However, van Gaal's side have been heavily criticised for their uninspiring style of football throughout the season, which has seen them score just 28 goals in 22 league games.