Bayern Munich said yesterday that coach Louis van Gaal is to leave at the end of the season, one year early, after three defeats in a row and qualification for the Champions League on a knife-edge.

“The reason for the contract being annulled is differing views on the club’s strategic direction,” Bayern Munich said in a statement.

The German giants, who are accustomed to winning, are fifth in the Bundesliga and seven points adrift of the second place that would guarantee Champions League football next season.

By their standards this is a poor season.

“Of course we know, looking at the Bundesliga table, that it will be very hard to qualify for the Champions League next season, but we are going to give it our all,” chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Following successful spells at Barcelona and Ajax, Van Gaal was recruited from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in 2009 after Bayern dumped Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann following a string of poor results.

After a slow start, Van Gaal took the German giants to a 22nd league title, their 15th Cup and a Champions League final in which they lost 2-0 to Inter.

Bayern’s patience with the 59-year-old Dutchman appeared to have run out after a fully deserved 3-1 defeat to Hanover on Saturday, which left them 19 points shy of where the defending champions expect to be – at the top.

The Bild daily said the club held a five-hour long crisis meeting on Sunday involving Rummenigge, number two Karl Hopfner, president Uli Hoeness and director of sport Christian Nerlinger.

After the Hanover game, Rummenigge said the defeat and the manner of the loss had been for him the “low point” of the whole season.

The paper reported earlier yesterday that Van Gaal had been given a three-game stay of execution – two Bundesliga games and next Tuesday’s Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash with Inter.

If they don’t win these games, and Bayern fail to qualify for the Champions League the Dutchman could be shown the door even sooner, Bild said.