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Louis van Gaal says he would be "disappointed" if Manchester United have spoken to Jose Mourinho.

United made no comment after last week's reports that club officials had held talks with ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho's representatives.

Asked whether he thought there had been talks, Van Gaal said: "In football that is possible, but I do not think that."

He said he "had a relationship" with chief executive Ed Woodward and owners the Glazers and "they would tell me".

On the question of whether United's silence regarding Mourinho was unsettling, Van Gaal, 64, said: "You don't have to answer invented stories. I agree with this policy of the club."

United are out of the Champions League and are currently fifth in the Premier League table, six points adrift of Manchester City in fourth.

They face second-from-bottom Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in Saturday's early kick-off.

Van Gaal, who took charge in May 2014 and led United to fourth place last year, agreed with the suggestion that another fourth-placed finish would be regarded as a "good" season.

"I think so, but that analysis has to be made by the board and maybe also by the media," he said.

"I think that you have to always look at the circumstances, how you have to work, and I think this board is doing that."