Manchester United: Diego Forlan urges Red Devils to recruit Jose Mourinho as manager

Former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan wants the Red Devils to sign Jose Mourinho and leave Ryan Giggs to gain some more experience before taking over at Old Trafford. Louis van Gaal has been under pressure over the last couple of days following their humiliating 3-0 loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, which will only be compounded if they fail to get past West Ham in the FA Cup quarter-final scheduled at Upton Park.

The Dutchman had recently come into favour when the top management asked him to organise United's pre-season tour before next season, which gave the hint that the Red Devils were willing to persist with the manager for another season. Van Gaal himself was optimistic about his chances and was reportedly confident that he would be allowed to see out his contract should he lead the Red Devils to a top four spot.

However, the recent setback has poured cold water over his plans and has reinvigorated talks of Mourinho taking over at the club after the end of the summer. The former Chelsea manager recently confirmed that he would be back in management after the end of the current season and would prefer staying in England where his family is settled.

Forlan believes that Mourinho's experience is something that the Red Devils have been missing all season and they need a manager in the same ilk as Sir Alex Ferguson, who demands respect from the players and also understands the Premier League. Mourinho has won the Champions League twice with Porto and Inter Milan, while winning the league title in four different countries.

"I think with what they have gone through in the past two years United would be better to have a coach with Mourinho's experience," Forlan told 888.com, as quoted by Goal.

The Red Devils take on West Ham United in the FA Cup quarter-final replay on 13 April, where a loss would mean the Red Devils go three years without a trophy, something the fans have not been habituated to in recent years.