Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United following their defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
The Red Devils were humbled on Merseyside as they were beaten 3-1 by their fiercest rivals at Anfield.
And United have decided that result was the final straw and have parted company with the Portuguese – with Mourinho set to land a £24million payoff.
A club statement 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 spent two-and-a-half years in the Old Trafford dugout and won the EFL Cup and the Europa League in the 2016-17 season.
But the defeat at Liverpool left the Red Devils 19 points off their fiercest rivals who currently top the Premier League.
Finishing in the top four is a minimum requirement for United this term and they are already 11 points adrift.
Mourinho was a vocal critic of United’s transfer policy after he failed to land any of his prime defensive targets last summer.
He was desperate to sign a big-name centre-half with Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire among the players on his shortlist.
And United have now grown tired – pulling the trigger on Mourinho and announcing they will appoint a caretaker boss until the end of the season.
Michael Carrick will take training in the interim period with United travelling to Cardiff for their next game in the Premier League on Saturday tea time.
The United job was Mourinho’s third spell in the Premier League having previously managed Chelsea on two separate occasions.
But he has been less successful at the Theatre of Dreams, failing to win the title having tasted glory in 2005, 2006 and 2015 with the Blues.
Mourinho also won two Serie A crowns with Inter Milan and two Portuguese titles with Porto as well as a pair of Champions League triumphs in 2004 and 2010.
The self-styled Special One was asked whether be believed he was the man to “fix” United’s poor run of form.
He said: “What do you mean by fix? By win the title? Of course not. We can still finish fourth. It’s not easy but for sure for sure we’re going to finish in the top 6, but the best we can get is fourth.
“Liverpool are a better team. We can’t compare with Liverpool’s intensity and pressing.”
