Manchester United has sacked manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a day after a 4-1 defeat by Watford left the club seventh in the Premier League.
"Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager. Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision", the club said in a statement.
"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. 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", the statement read.
According to the club, Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for upcoming games, while Manchester United looks to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season.
According to the club, Michael Carrick will now take charge of the team for upcoming games, while Manchester United looks to appoint an interim manager to the end of the season.
The news comes on the heels of a string of poor performances that have seen United fall off the pace in the race for the Premier League title and look unconvincing in the Champions League.
Earlier this month, United's board backed Ole Gunnar and indicated he would be given time to turn the season around. However, the embarrassing result against Liverpool proved to be too much. The 5-0 result saw United down 4-0 at half-time and a string of ugly frustration-fuelled tackles led to six yellow cards and a straight red for Paul Pogba.
United have spent heavily in recent seasons to build a squad capable of challenging for titles. Solskjaer's tenure helped stabilise the club after a rocky spell, but the manager has never been able to elevate his squad into the elite of Europe.
Solskjaer was only intended to be the caretaker to see out the 2018-19 season. After an initial good run of form, the United board offered Solskjaer an extension and the permanent title of manager.
Under his leadership, Solskjaer guided the club from a 6th place finish in 2018-19, to a 4th place finish, and finally, a 2nd place finish in the Premier League last season. While United's success in the league and Europe improved, the club failed to win any significant trophies under his leadership.
With Solskjaer's sacking, United will look to bring in the fifth manager to try and recapture the glory days United experienced under Sir Alex Ferguson.