Jose Mourinho sacked as Manchester United manager and set to be replaced on caretaker basis by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The Portuguese has been dismissed with a caretaker to be appointed until the end of the season
Manchester United sacked Jose Mourinho as manager on Tuesday morning and are expected to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker boss for the remainder of the season.
The Premier League giants decided to axe the Portuguese 48 hours after Sunday's defeat to Liverpool, which left the club 19 points off the top of the table.
The club are planning to appoint an interim boss to lead the team until next summer - when they are expected to move for Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino - with former striker Solskjaer, currently in charge of Molde, the frontrunner for the role.
The statement from United read: "Manchester United announces that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect.
"The club would like to thank Jose for his work during his time at Manchester United and to wish him success in the future.
"A new caretaker manager will be appointed until the end of the current season, while the club conducts a thorough recruitment process for a new, full-time manager."
Mourinho leaves Old Trafford two-and-a-half years after joining the club, having succeeded Louis van Gaal as the third permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
He guided United to EFL Cup and Europa League success in his debut season, but only managed to secure a sixth-place finish in the Premier League.
Last term was far better in terms of league performance - United were only beaten to the title by a dominant Manchester City - but the Red Devils ended 2017/18 without any silverware.
Continual poor performances this season left the United hierarchy feeling they had no choice but to act, with United in sixth place, 11 points behind Chelsea in fourth.
They were also knocked out of the EFL Cup by Derby County, and have been drawn to play Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League knockout stage.
Mourinho's recent months in charge have been characterised by bust-ups with key players such as Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, while fans have consistently criticised the negative style of football introduced at Old Trafford since his appointment.
Mourinho's Man United record
Mourinho was Manchester United manager for 144 matches, starting with the Community Shield on August 7, 2016
- Matches: 144
- Wins: 84
- Draws: 31
- Losses: 29
- Goals for: 251
- Goals against: 129
- Points won: 283
- Best league finish: 2nd (2017/18)
- Trophies: Community Shield (2017), EFL Cup (2016/17), Europa League (2016/17)
Mourinho has been sacked almost exactly three years after he was dismissed by Chelsea, with the Blues axing him in 2015 on December 17, following a 2-1 defeat at Leicester.
This is the latest in a long line of collapses suffered by teams managed by Mourinho, with Real Madrid, Chelsea (in his second spell) and now United all being hit by the same third season syndrome.
Speaking to talkSPORT on Tuesday, former United star Lee Sharpe claimed the club had no choice but to bring Mourinho's reign to an end.
He said: “It doesn’t really surprise me.
“I thought they were going to wait until the end of the season, but things have become a little bit toxic and the performances have not improved.
“Mourinho has looked like a man who didn’t want to be in the job, he hasn’t enjoyed himself this season and he had to be shown the door."
Mourinho is set to receive a huge pay off.
He only signed a new contract earlier this year and it is understood they will have to pay him a staggering £24million severance package.