REPORTS: Louis van Gaal settling in for the long haul at Manchester United

No way, no Jose.

Louis van Gaal is one of football's great survivors, but surely even Charles Darwin would marvel at the news emerging from Old Trafford today that the Dutchman will be sticking around until 2017. The Dutchman has seemed doomed since the middle of this season, as his side exited the Champions League, and then saw their Premier League challenge tail off dramatically. Jose Mourinho's sacking at Chelsea merely increased the pressure on the former Ajax manager, but it seems that Ed Woodward has decided that life is easier with the Dutchman around than having to work with the Portuguese. According to The Mirror, the decision has been made to allow van Gaal see out his final year in charge at the club, which will take charge until the summer of 2017. The newspaper claims that van Gaal's inner circle are confident of keeping their roles at the club, even if a top four finish is beyond the team this season. The decision to keep van Gaal is understood to have been made as the club struggled to reconcile all directors to the idea of a Jose Mourinho-led Manchester United next season. https://twitter.com/DTguardian/status/707494038866403328 In the short term Van Gaal is preparing for Thursday Europa League last-16 clash at Anfield - the first time the great rivals have met in a European competition. Advancing to the quarter-finals would only make the former Barca and Bayern boss more comfortable in that corner office at Carrington.