The former Chelsea chief has secured a package at Old Trafford will put him on a par with old foe Pep Guardiola, who will join rivals Manchester City this summer.
Personal terms are understood to have been agreed in principle with Mourinho, with the Special One set to replace his former mentor this summer.
But if the current United team is a side built in Van Gaal's image then what would Jose's look like? How would he change things at a club that have still never really recovered from Sir Alex Ferguson's reign?
We asked Ed Malyon how he felt things might be:
Coaching staff
The Dutchman's coaching staff, including the likes of goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek, would be unlikely to stay but the key decision would be what to do with Ryan Giggs.
On one hand you'd expect Giggs would be welcomed by Mourinho, who has embraced former players when arriving at clubs before. Aitor Karanka, now topping the Championship with Middlesbrough, was the chosen assistant at Real Madrid - where Mourinho threw him in at the deep end on several occasions by skipping press conferences.
Having been seemingly promised the job, for Mourinho to roll into town and take what was rightfully his would be a kick in the teeth. Would the Welshman stick around as second in charge or would he look to get away and forge his own path?
It could be a headache for senior figures at Old Trafford.
Playing style and current squad
The decline of his centre-backs, Nemanja Matic's form and Diego Costa's general state during the opening half of 2015-16, mean that none of those three have been evident. But there are building blocks for him to use at United.
Chris Smalling would likely form the base for his defence while the days of Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo playing centre-back would surely be numbered and Phil Jones could become an Ivanovicesque right-back.
In pictures - Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United:
Juan Mata's future would obviously be thrown into doubt, but Ander Herrera could probably expect a fresh start and possibly a role similar to that of Oscar in Chelsea's title triumph (before he was denied his wish to leave).
Wayne Rooney was once a player that Mourinho was desperate to sign, but that was a far different player to what we've seen for much of the season from the England captain.
Ins and outs
AFP/Getty
Their relationship soured hugely at Real Madrid and, with Paris Saint-Germain having pursued him for so long and so persistently, the move to Ligue 1 would make the most sense - although he has declared his intention to remain at the Bernabeu until 2018.
Given United's need for a central defender and Chelsea's very public pursuit of John Stones in the summer, there is an obvious target to plug that gap - but Everton won't budge easily.
Players at risk of the chop would be the defenders mentioned above, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, plus Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young.
Mourinho is also keen to bring in highly-rated Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta. Italian Berta is understood to be a close friend of Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes and his arrival would see the job of signing players moved from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to him.
Academy
Action Images via Reuters
And the few example of him doing so are often during highly-toxic situations - remember the promotion of Antonio Adán at the expense of Iker Casillas during Real Madrid's Mourinho-inspired civil war.
Chelsea's loan army may make good business sense but the success of some of the departed loanees - Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in particular - has become a stick to beat Mourinho with for his lack of faith in youngsters.
In pictures - Man United Under-21s 7-0 Norwich:
One of the few Van Gaal bright spots at Old Trafford has been the amount of youngsters he has blooded in the first team, so Mourinho would be expected to at least find some sort of middle ground.
Behaviour and reputation
BPI
Given that, according to most reports, Mourinho didn't replace Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 because there were concerns among th Old Trafford hierarchy about The Special One's behaviour and how it might affect a club like United, the fact that the club is considering him now suggests a shift in policy.
But with that history, you'd have to expect Ed Woodward to remind Mourinho from the outset that his previous behaviour won't be tolerated at United. For the first time in a long time, Jose is unlikely to be taking a job on his terms. There are only so many demands you can make in his position and, should he take over at Man United, we could see a more mellow Mourinho than ever.
What could Jose Mourinho's Manchester United team look like if he takes over at Old Trafford?
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- 11:46, 12 Feb 2016
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- Opinion
Ed Malyon looks at what we could expect if the Portuguese replaces under-pressure Louis van Gaal as manager of the 20-time English champions
The former Chelsea chief has secured a package at Old Trafford will put him on a par with old foe Pep Guardiola, who will join rivals Manchester City this summer.
Personal terms are understood to have been agreed in principle with Mourinho, with the Special One set to replace his former mentor this summer.
But if the current United team is a side built in Van Gaal's image then what would Jose's look like? How would he change things at a club that have still never really recovered from Sir Alex Ferguson's reign?
We asked Ed Malyon how he felt things might be:
Coaching staff
Reuters
The Dutchman's coaching staff, including the likes of goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek, would be unlikely to stay but the key decision would be what to do with Ryan Giggs.
On one hand you'd expect Giggs would be welcomed by Mourinho, who has embraced former players when arriving at clubs before. Aitor Karanka, now topping the Championship with Middlesbrough, was the chosen assistant at Real Madrid - where Mourinho threw him in at the deep end on several occasions by skipping press conferences.
Reuters / Eddie Keogh
Having been seemingly promised the job, for Mourinho to roll into town and take what was rightfully his would be a kick in the teeth. Would the Welshman stick around as second in charge or would he look to get away and forge his own path?
It could be a headache for senior figures at Old Trafford.
Playing style and current squad
Clive Brunskill
The decline of his centre-backs, Nemanja Matic's form and Diego Costa's general state during the opening half of 2015-16, mean that none of those three have been evident. But there are building blocks for him to use at United.
Chris Smalling would likely form the base for his defence while the days of Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo playing centre-back would surely be numbered and Phil Jones could become an Ivanovicesque right-back.
In pictures - Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United:
Juan Mata's future would obviously be thrown into doubt, but Ander Herrera could probably expect a fresh start and possibly a role similar to that of Oscar in Chelsea's title triumph (before he was denied his wish to leave).
Wayne Rooney was once a player that Mourinho was desperate to sign, but that was a far different player to what we've seen for much of the season from the England captain.
Ins and outs
AFP/Getty
Their relationship soured hugely at Real Madrid and, with Paris Saint-Germain having pursued him for so long and so persistently, the move to Ligue 1 would make the most sense - although he has declared his intention to remain at the Bernabeu until 2018.
Given United's need for a central defender and Chelsea's very public pursuit of John Stones in the summer, there is an obvious target to plug that gap - but Everton won't budge easily.
Players at risk of the chop would be the defenders mentioned above, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, plus Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young.
Mourinho is also keen to bring in highly-rated Atletico Madrid sporting director Andrea Berta. Italian Berta is understood to be a close friend of Mourinho’s agent, Jorge Mendes and his arrival would see the job of signing players moved from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to him.
Academy
Action Images via Reuters
And the few example of him doing so are often during highly-toxic situations - remember the promotion of Antonio Adán at the expense of Iker Casillas during Real Madrid's Mourinho-inspired civil war.
Chelsea's loan army may make good business sense but the success of some of the departed loanees - Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in particular - has become a stick to beat Mourinho with for his lack of faith in youngsters.
In pictures - Man United Under-21s 7-0 Norwich:
One of the few Van Gaal bright spots at Old Trafford has been the amount of youngsters he has blooded in the first team, so Mourinho would be expected to at least find some sort of middle ground.
Behaviour and reputation
BPI
Given that, according to most reports, Mourinho didn't replace Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 because there were concerns among th Old Trafford hierarchy about The Special One's behaviour and how it might affect a club like United, the fact that the club is considering him now suggests a shift in policy.
But with that history, you'd have to expect Ed Woodward to remind Mourinho from the outset that his previous behaviour won't be tolerated at United. For the first time in a long time, Jose is unlikely to be taking a job on his terms. There are only so many demands you can make in his position and, should he take over at Man United, we could see a more mellow Mourinho than ever.
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