Carlo Ancelotti believes Jose Mourinho is the perfect fit for Manchester United as the three-time Premier League winner closes in on the Old Trafford managerial hot seat.

Mourinho - out of a job since leaving Chelsea in December - is set to be confirmed as United manager in the coming days after Louis van Gaal was sacked following the FA Cup final on Monday.

Some past and present players doubt whether Mourinho's style of play is suited to Old Trafford but Bayern Munich boss Ancelotti feels the Portuguese is the right man to take United forward after three seasons without a Premier League title.

"I think it is a good wedding [with United] because Mourinho really knows the Premier League well. He is one of the best coaches in the world and Manchester United at this moment need someone who can improve what they did in the last two years with Louis van Gaal," Ancelotti told the Telegraph.

"There are different opinions about the job of Van Gaal, no? My opinion is that he arrived in a moment when he needed to rebuild a team after Rio Ferdinand, after [Paul] Scholes, after [Ryan] Giggs, after Ferguson and it takes time.

"The same thing happened to Milan. When Milan lost [Paolo] Maldini, [Gennaro] Gattuso, [Filippo] Inzaghi it was difficult to rebuild the team quickly, they needed time.

"The last year they [United] showed they have really good young players. And maybe with Mourinho they could have a step forward."