Manchester United have sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Watford.

The club have won just one of their past seven Premier League matches and are seventh in the table, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

First-team coach Michael Carrick has been placed in temporary charge while United seek an interim manager to the end of the season.

The club’s recent run of poor form includes a 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool on 24 October and a 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on 6 November.

United statement:

“It is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision,” 

“While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success.

“Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as manager and our very best wishes for the future.”

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Solskjaer is a former Red Devils player, scoring 126 goals in 11 seasons from 1996-2007 including the winner in the 1999 Champions League final.

Man Utd said :

“His place in the club’s history will always be secure, not just for his story as a player, but as a great man and a manager who gave us many great moments.

“He will forever be welcome back at Old Trafford as part of the Manchester United family.”

 

United next play when they travel to Spain to take on Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, before league games against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Darren Fletcher will stay on as technical director, while Mike Phelan and Kieran McKenna – who were part of Solskjaer’s coaching set up – will also remain at the club for the time being.

Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, currently out of work, is an early favourite with bookmakers to become United’s next manager.

Pending official confirmation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been releaved of his duties as Manchester United’s manager.

After coming to take the job as head manager in 2018, Ole did make some considerable progress with the squad but he didn’t win any important silverware.

Once more key players who performed at the highest level arrived, many of his inconsistencies as a coach began emerging.

From the moment the season started, it was clear that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was way in over his head with dismal results against any club throughout every tournament.

Earlier today, a bad result against Watford after the international break would surely bring his tenure to a bitter end.

After a 4-1 loss, Solskjaer approached the fans to offer his apologies for the result knowing his fate was probably sealed.

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The board of directors called for an emergency meeting to reach the terms of Solskjaer’s exit from the club.

After five hours of talks, they came out with the decision to relieve Ole from his managerial duties.

Fabrizio Romano was the first one who broke the news, Solskjaer won’t continue as Manchester United’s manager.

While options are considered, Darren Fletcher is expected to take the job as interim manager.

Why hasn’t the sacking been announced by United?

Despite reaching the final verdict on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future, owner Joel Blazer is the one who has the final word.

It’s a matter of time before he simply gives the decision his blessing because the rest of the board already made peace with it.

There is still no confirmation on any manager to take the job but the suggested names vary between Zinedine Zidane, Brendan Rodgers and Ronald Koeman.

Manchester United plans to take this decision making process slowly because they want to pick the best possible manager for the role.

Inside the board, everybody considers they have a title-winning squad but choosing the right coach is essential for them to have a chance at any trophies.

A few hours after the initial announcement, Fabrizio Romano confirmed Joel Glazer’s decision.