Louis van Gaal said he had nothing to prove as a manager as the rumours about his future and the prospect of Jose Mourinho replacing him intensified.
Mourinho has long been linked with the Dutchman’s job in charge of Manchester United and not even winning the FA Cup could stop that story rearing its head on Saturday night.
No sooner had United beaten Crystal Palace 2-1 it was widely reported that Van Gaal would be replaced by Mourinho inside the next three days.
ALSO READ: If it is indeed the end for Louis van Gaal – and Ryan Giggs – it was a good one
But when speaking to BT Sport afterwards, and asked if he had needed to win the cup, Van Gaal said: “That’s not so important for me. I want to win things, titles. I have won everywhere I have worked so I don’t have to prove myself.
“When they want to use my knowledge, my management, I shall continue. We have proved today that we have a title, and that [the last title] was a long time ago.
“Also, in a period of Sir Alex Ferguson, he does not win every title.”
When asked if he will be seen next season, Van Gaal added: “I hope to see you.”
Van Gaal then arrived at his post-match news conference with the FA Cup trophy and said: “I show you the cup. I don’t discuss [my future] with the media, who already sacked me for six months.
“Which manager can do that, what I have done?”
Van Gaal departed the press conference room in sarcastic fashion, hoisting the cup aloft and saying: “Thank you for the congratulations.”
The speculation about Van Gaal’s position took the gloss off a famous day for United and in particular Lingard, the 23-year-old academy graduate, who has forced his way into the starting XI following several loan spells.
The winger settled an affair that his side had shaded in the 110th minute, fizzing a right-foot volley into the top-left corner shortly after United centre-back Chris Smalling had been sent off for two bookable offences.
Substitute Jason Puncheon had put Palace ahead in the 78th minute, slamming the ball past David de Gea from a narrow angle, but United equalised within three minutes as Marouane Fellaini chested down captain Wayne Rooney’s cross for Juan Mata to volley home.
Palace manager Alan Pardew tasted defeat in an FA Cup final for the third time, having been on the losing team when United beat the south London club in a replay in 1990 and overseen West Ham United’s loss on penalties to Liverpool in 2006.
He praised his players for playing with “heart and passion” and said that the club had conducted itself with “dignity”.
His chief complaint centred around referee Mark Clattenburg’s decision to award a first-half free kick for a foul on Connor Wickham by Smalling, rather than play advantage and allow the striker to race into the box with the ball.
“I was really disappointed with the Connor decision in particular,” Pardew said.
“Because you could see he was going to get up first and obviously the advantage was really with us. He had a free pass to Yala [Yannick Bolasie] for a tap-in. To be pulled back was really harsh.”
Pardew celebrated Puncheon’s opener by gyrating on the touchline and he said afterwards that he had got carried away in the moment.
“I enjoyed that moment,” he said. “In a cup final, as a manager it’s difficult to enjoy moments. Forgive me my dance. It’s just because I enjoyed it.”
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
