Jose Mourinho sacked by Manchester United
Liverpool’s victory was his last as manager of the Red Devils.
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United tenure is over after the Premier League club announced his departure on Tuesday morning.
The 55-year-old will leave his position with immediate effect, with a caretaker filling the role until the end of the season.
United are sixth in the league table, 19 points adrift of bitter rivals Liverpool, whose 3-1 win over Mourinho’s men on Sunday turned out to be his last match in charge.
A statement from United on Tuesday morning said: “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.”
The Red Devils then finished second in the Premier League last term, before making a troubled start to this season, winning only seven of 17 league games and being knocked out of the League Cup at home by Championship club Derby.
First-team coach Michael Carrick took training on Tuesday after Mourinho was told the news by executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward in a face-to-face meeting at the Aon Training Complex. He left in a car around 1225.
Press Association Sport understands the club are hoping to appoint a caretaker boss, with links to the club, in the next 48 hours, meaning the temporary manager could be in the dugout for Saturday’s trip to Cardiff.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be the main target to take the reins next summer, but the club will be undergoing an extensive and thorough process over the coming months as they belatedly re-jig things.
Shortly after the announcement, a picture was posted to midfielder Paul Pogba’s Twitter account showing him glancing sideways at a camera, with the words: “Caption this.”
The post got particularly close attention as Pogba had been reported to have clashed with Mourinho on numerous occasions, and remained on the substitutes’ bench throughout United’s defeat to Liverpool.
The news of Mourinho’s departure also prompted much speculation as to his permanent replacement.
Neville, now a TV pundit, told Sky Sports News: “I said last season that the next manager of Manchester United should be [Tottenham manager] Mauricio Pochettino.”
Another name linked to the job is former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane.
Following United’s statement, Google Trends said the Frenchman was the most-searched name in relation to the job over the previous 12 hours.
Rio Ferdinand, who played for United between 2002 and 2014, said on Instagram of Mourinho’s reign: “Right now is the right time.. things aren’t improving & he has taken it as far as he can.
Ferdinand said that while he was one of the Portuguese’s “biggest advocates”, he now felt “the time has come for fresh ideas”.
“The club needs an injection of positivity & hopefully this decision will allow that to happen,” he added.
