Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has been linked with the AC Milan job, according to reports in Italy.
Gazzetta dello Sport have suggested that the Dutchman has been shortlisted to replace Sinisa Mihajlovic who was sacked in April.
His appointment as the AC Milan would mark a surprising turn in events for Van Gaal who only one month ago was still in charge at Manchester United.
Other candidates to fill the San Siro vacancy include ex-Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas and fellow Dutchman Ronald de Boer.
The 64-year-old had initially suggested he would be retiring from management following the humiliating circumstances of his departure from Old Trafford.
Despite the disappointment of last season, Van Gaal remains one of the most experienced managers in Europe having taken charge of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Holland during his time.
Van Gaal delivered United’s first major trophy of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson after guiding the club to FA Cup glory at Wembley in May.
But this achievement failed to hide the disappointment of United’s season as a whole which culminated in a fifth-placed Premier League finish and the prospects of Champions League football dashed.
Ronald Koeman has emerged as an unlikely ally to Louis van Gaal, the deposed Manchester United manager, hailing his “dignity” in the wake of José Mourinho’s appointment.
United moved to replace the former Barcelona and Bayern München boss with Mourinho, his old protégé at Camp Nou, after months of speculation linking the Portuguese with the post.
Koeman’s intervention may surprise some, however, after the pair endured a difficult relationship when Van Gaal was the 53-year-old’s director of football at Ajax just over a decade ago.
But the Southampton manager has leapt to his former colleague’s defence after the media was informed of his Old Trafford demise as United celebrated their FA Cup triumph at Wembley.
“I have watched the process around Louis and José from a distance,” Koeman told reporters. “For months we were all reading that Mourinho was busy with Manchester United.
“If Louis was not told about getting the sack until after the FA Cup Final, then Manchester United as a club don’t deserve a medal for the way they treated him. If you know a little bit about the business at the highest level in football, then you know that these kind of deals are not done overnight.
“But Louis has been put under tremendous pressure for months. This is why I admire the way he kept his dignity. Of course, he had a number of run-ins with the media and there were moments when I thought ‘Louis, you could have dealt with that in another way.’ But Louis is Louis.
“But looking at the incredible pressure all around him, I think he did a great job winning a big trophy like the FA Cup.”
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