Over the past six months, rarely has a day gone by when some newspaper has not run a story about Jose Mourinho taking over from Louis van Gaal. There has been a drip-drip of exclusives ranging from a pre-contract has been signed, an actual contract has been signed to the Portuguese's wish-list of new players he wants to bring to Manchester United.
If Manchester City draws at Swansea on Sunday it will clinch fourth place and give Pep Guardiola Champions League football in his first season at the Etihad, relegating United to the Europa League, condemning the Reds to a second season in three years without Europe's premier cup competition.
David Moyes, van Gaal's predecessor, was sacked less than 48 hours after a top-four finish became mathematically impossible in 2013. Yet despite an avalanche of speculation, there has not been a single word from Ed Woodward, United's executive vice chairman, who will make the decision about van Gaal and any successor.