Jose Mourinho left Manchester United with immediate effect on Tuesday morning.
The Portuguese leaves with United sixth in the table with the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday proving his final game in charge.
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."
Jose Mourinho has left Manchester United with immediate effect.
The Portuguese leaves with United sixth in the table with the defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday proving his final game in charge.
Follow the latest updates and reaction right here:
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.
I was fortunate enough to spend two or three days at Tottenham's training ground and for me he just feels like the most ideal candidate.
Manchester United have tried mansagers who have won European Cups, managers who have won leagues, managers who have a solid grounding in the Premier League.
My view is they ned someone who follows the three key principles of that football club which is promoting youth, entertaining football and winning football matches.
People say he hasn't won trophies at Tottenham but for a net spend of minus £29m he couldn't have done more, he's done the most incredible job and I do think he is the outstanding candidate.
He is the individual I think who fits the profile of what Manchester United need.
You look at his performance levels and the style of play you look at the way he carries himself in public and private, for me he just feels like the most ideal candidate.
- Jose Mourinho has been sacked as manager of Manchester United
- He leaves with immediate effect
- The defeat to Liverpool proves his final game in charge after two-and-a-half years
- Michael Carrick will not take over as caretaker manager
- An external candidate will be appointed in the coming days
So where does Jose go from here?
Mourinho leaves United with the club languishing a distant sixth in the Premier League – a full 19 points behind bitter rivals Liverpool, who sit top.
The self-anointed Special One’s career now appears to be at something of a crossroads, given his recent high-profile failures at both United and Chelsea.
But where will Mourinho go next? Here we take a look at the options.
It is understood that the club will place Carrick in temporary charge but only for the next 48 hours, when an external candidate will be brought in to see out the season.
That unusual strategy was broken to Gary Neville, a Manchester United legend, live on air on Sky Sports and he reacted with surprise as the details unfolded.
However, their next step must be to hire a sporting director. That trumps all the talk of who is going to be the next coach because this is a club in desperate need of a footballing direction, not just swaying from manager to contrasting manager.
Ed Woodward has to go out and get his man, let that sporting director make an appointment that can take the club forward and only then is there a chance of progress.
Mauricio Pochettino, for me, is the best managerial candidate but the real hire they need to make is Pochettino's would-be boss.
There's a new name in the frame...
The Manchester United hierarchy are considering Laurent Blanc as a potential stand-in until the end of the season, after the decision to sack Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning.
Old Trafford officials now want a figure who knows the club well following the Portuguese's dismissal and the French World Cup winner's playing history there from 2001 to 2003 under Sir Alex Ferguson is seen as appealing, with United having previously considered him for the manager's role.
The club ultimately made the decision to sack Mourinho after the nature of the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool, with the performance and manager's attitude afterwards seen as a "final straw".
Here's Miguel Delaney with the latest:
Jose Mourinho’s last press conference as Manchester United manager came after a comprehensive 3-1 defeat against long-time rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
As he spoke to the media, Mourinho had to explain why Liverpool were so much better than his side, with United completely overrun during the first 30 minutes of the Anfield encounter.
Explaining the differences between his United side and that at the disposal of Jurgen Klopp, Mourinho compared the physicality and intensity of Liverpool’s best players compared to his own.
Going a step further, he labelled certain players within his squad “injury-prone” having had to deal with a constant stream of defensive issues that has prevented him from sticking with a consistent line-up.
Here is Mourinho’s final press conference in full.
Gary Neville has responded to Paul Pogba’s deleted Instagram post in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United sacking by telling the Frenchman to “do one”.
Pogba was quick to take to Instagram in the wake of Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday morning.
The France international shared a photograph of himself smirking at the camera along with the tagline: “caption this”.
Pogba was quick to delete the photograph but not before it had garnered a huge reaction across social media.
And Neville did not take long to voice his opinion. “Caption this,” he tweeted. “You do one as well”.
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