Louis van Gaal’s future is in the hands of a small group of people – and Fergie’s not one of them

Speculation has been rife about Louis van Gaal's Manchester United future.

Earlier in the week, it seemed certain that the axe would fall on the Dutchman, only for the club to deny claims that he had offered to resign in the wake of the recent defeat to Southampton. But according to a report by Paul Hayward in The Telegraph, we should pay little attention to any talk of 'emergency meetings' between the United board. Added to that, he also suggests that the influence held by figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton over a potential change of the club's manager is not as significant as some have suggested. In fact, if United lose their FA Cup fourth round tie at Derby on Friday, the decision to replace van Gaal will rest primarily with Ed Woodward, group managing director Richard Arnold and members of the Glazer family. Nobody else. One thing is for sure, van Gaal certainly isn't ready to leave just yet.