Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect following a dismal start to the season, the Premier League side announced on Tuesday.
Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will return to Old Trafford as caretaker manager until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
United sacked manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday after the sixth-placed side made their worst start to a season for 28 years, culminating in a limp 3-1 loss to bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Norway international Solskjaer scored 126 goals for United from 1996-2007, often deployed as an impact sub with his most memorable contribution coming in the 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich when he netted an injury-time winner.
"Manchester United is in my heart and it's brilliant to be coming back in this role," the 45-year-old former Cardiff City manager said in a statement.
"I'm really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club."
Solskjaer will be joined by Mike Phelan, who returns as assistant manager, having previously working alongside Sir Alex Ferguson for five seasons before leaving in 2013.
Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, both part of Mourinho's backroom staff, will be retained at the club to work under Solskjaer, who won six Premier League titles and two FA Cups to go along with the 1999 Champions League triumph at United.
"Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles," United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said.
"His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.
"We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season."
United face Solskjaer's former side Cardiff in a Premier League clash on Saturday, the Norwegian coming up against a club he managed for nine months in 2014, during which time they were relegated from the top flight.
The former striker's appointment received the high-profile approval of Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who tweeted: "FINALLY CONFIRMED! Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils, @olegs26_ole"
Following the loss to league leaders Liverpool, Manchester United (26 points) sit 19 points adrift of their rivals after 17 matches and 11 behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
1. Mauricio Pochettino hot favourite
)
Pochettino has been seen as a long-term target for United because of his preference for attacking football and nurturing young talent, neither of which has been much in evidence at the club since the departure of Alex Ferguson in 2013. With the Portuguese gone, United may make their move for the Spurs boss, who has taken his club to consecutive finishes in the top three but has yet to bring a trophy to North London.
The Argentine was offered at odds of 2/1 against - meaning one chance in three - within minutes of United announcing Mourinho's sacking. Pochettino is closely followed at 4/1 against - or one chance in five - by former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who led the Spanish side to three successive Champions League titles. Former United midfielder Michael Carrick, now a coach at the club, is quoted at 10/1, just behind former Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim, on 9/1. It may be strange for some United fans to countenance but former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is at 20/1, the same as Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. United said they would appoint a caretaker while conducting a thorough recruitment process for a new full-time manager.
Italian Antonio Conte (12/1) is out of work and previously succeeded Mourinho at Chelsea, going on to win the title.
Pochettino would be an expensive capture as he signed a new five-year deal at Spurs this year reportedly worth around 8.5 million pounds ($11 million). The Tottenham coach also said last week that he was happy at the club and looking forward to leading them into their new stadium next year.
2. Zidane
)
Pochettino is closely followed at 4/1 against - or one chance in five - by former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, who led the Spanish side to three successive Champions League titles.
3. Wenger
)
It may be strange for some United fans to countenance but former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is at 20/1, the same as Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. United said they would appoint a caretaker while conducting a thorough recruitment process for a new full-time manager.
4. Michael Carrick
)
Former United midfielder Michael Carrick, now a coach at the club, is quoted at 10/1, just behind former Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim, on 9/1.
5. Antonio Conte
)
Italian Antonio Conte (12/1) is out of work and previously succeeded Mourinho at Chelsea, going on to win the title.
6. Was it Pogba?
)
While there was a belief that he was sacked because of player power, a source told Reuters on Tuesday the notion that "player power" had played any part in his sacking was simply untrue. "The decision had been entirely down to the way the club have been playing", the source said, also claiming that Mourinho had been committed to the principle of fast, attacking, high-tempo football for which the club has long been famed.
7. Reactions to the sacking
)
FORMER UNITED CAPTAIN GARY NEVILLE
"I've been fortunate to spend time at Tottenham's training ground, and for me he (Mauricio Pochettino) feels like the ideal candidate. United have tried managers who have won European cups, they've tried managers who have won multiple leagues.
"My view is they need someone who meets the three key principles of the football club, and that is promotion of youth, entertaining football, and to win football matches."
FORMER ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL GARY LINEKER
"With United 19 points behind Liverpool after 17 games, with the vast majority of players playing way below their best... and dour football to boot.
"Given Mourinho was allowed to spend hundreds of millions on those players, the split seemed inevitable.
"Would imagine one of the main reasons for sacking Mourinho now would be to stop the attempted mass exodus of their best players next month."
FORMER LIVERPOOL BOSS GRAEME SOUNESS
"I think he (Mourinho) would have known this was coming. I'm not surprised... with the money he has spent and how the players are playing at this present moment in time... I said on Sunday, I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel for them.
"I was at Bournemouth two weeks ago. I'm a season ticket holder there. My season ticket is 10 rows behind the dugout and I saw a man who didn't want to be there."
FORMER UNITED FORWARD
"He is not the only one who should depart."
FORMER ENGLAND STRIKER MICHAEL OWEN
"Inevitable is the word I'd use. Mourinho had to go in the end. Simply not getting anywhere near enough out of his players."
FORMER LIVERPOOL MIDFIELDER JAMIE REDKNAPP
"If you were looking to go to a club and do everything wrong and get the sack, you would do what he's done.
"He stayed in a hotel... as a manager you shouldn't be going to a hotel every day because it sends the wrong message.
"The style of play wasn't right, United fans want to see their team play with flair. Falling out with the players and the board. It's been inevitable since the Brighton game, everything was wrong.
FORMER UNITED DEFENDER PATRICE EVRA
"The thing that is annoying me the most right now is why are people so focused on Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho. Let's focus on rebuilding something solid instead of being in a playground. Doing this is only disrespecting the badge, from now we only need positivity."
8. Poch refuses to play ball
)
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said on Tuesday that he was committed to delivering results in his current job, in comments that may do little to quell speculation about him replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.
Pochettino has emerged as bookmakers' favourite to succeed Mourinho, with the Argentine viewed as a suitable long-term candidate to deliver attacking football and develop young talent at Old Trafford.
The 46-year-old told a news conference he was saddened by Mourinho's departure, and he dismissed what he described as "rumours" over his own future. But he did not flatly deny any interest in replacing the Portuguese.
"I went to send my best wishes to him, I'm so sorry. I have a good relationship with him... he's a good friend and it's sad news," Pochettino told a news conference.
"The business you know very well - a lot of rumours happen. I think after nearly five years there's a lot of rumours about my position as manager at Tottenham. I cannot answer this type of question.
"It's not my business what happens in another club now. I'm focused on training and delivering my best result in this club (Tottenham)."
Pochettino, who joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2014, has guided the club to consecutive top-three finishes in the Premier League, but he is yet to win a trophy.
Former United skipper Gary Neville pointed out on Tuesday that while Pochettino had not picked up any silverware in England, he had a number of qualities that would appeal to United fans.
"My view is they need someone who meets the three key principles of the club - promotion of youth, entertaining football, and to win matches," Neville told Sky Sports.
Pochettino shrugged off the suggestion lightly.
"Of course I respect the opinion of everyone. But people say different things," Pochettino said.
9. Rio Ferdinand
)
Rio Ferdinand wrote: "I was one of his biggest advocates 2 & half years ago when he joined @ManUtd & felt he stabilised our club when we needed it... You can’t ignore what Jose has achieved as a manager previously but I feel the time has come for fresh ideas at #MUFC "
10. Pizza Hut banter
)
Hi @ManUtd, we've received a CV from Mr J Mourinho.
— Pizza Hut Restaurants (@pizzahutuk) December 18, 2018
He's just applied for a job as pizza chef.
Please can you send through a reference. Thanks.
Dodgy move this Pizza Hut. He'll spend a fortune on ingredients and you'll end up with all your toppings out of position on one half of the pizza.
— Neil P (@Bullyrammer) December 18, 2018
6 months before he blames the sauce, the dough, the oven & finally tells diners they had bad pizzas earlier & it's just heritage.
— ARYAN (@unitedaryan) December 18, 2018
I can confirm I was rejected from the job at Pizza Hut...
— José The Joker (@JoseZeJoker) December 18, 2018
I couldn’t make a “Four Seasons” successfully.
Guess he's arrived already pic.twitter.com/mZPjvG2qpR
— Siddharth (@SiddharthSG8) December 18, 2018
José works for people at the top. Seeing as you’re not at the top and @dominos is, I doubt he would have sent his CV to you.
— Mou (@Mouuknow) December 18, 2018
