Manchester United manager David Moyes has been sacked, only 10 months after succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson.
His dismissal was announced shortly after 0830 BST, following a meeting with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward at the club’s training ground.
Moyes, 50, was chosen by Ferguson to succeed him when he retired after 26 years in charge last summer.
United said player-coach Ryan Giggs will take charge “until a permanent appointment can be made”.
His first match as interim boss will be the home game against Norwich on Saturday.
The BBC understands coaches Steve Round and Jimmy Lumsden have also left their posts, but goalkeeping coach Chris Woods and first-team coach Phil Neville will remain with the club for the rest of the season.
United refused to comment on newspaper reports on Monday that Moyes, who left Everton to sign a six-year deal with the Premier League champions, would be sacked before the end of the season.
Man But in a short statement on Tuesday, the club said Moyes had departed, adding that it “would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role”.
Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal, Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, Atletico Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone and Paris St-Germain’s Laurent Blanc have already been tipped as possible successors.
However, Klopp has ruled himself out of the job, the 46-year-old telling The Guardian: “Man Utd is a great club and I feel very familiar with their wonderful fans. But my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable.”
The Daily Telegraph suggest United will also make discreet moves to see if Pep Guardiola can be persuaded to leave Bayern Munich.
United, who lie seventh in the table with four games remaining, are guaranteed to record their lowest points tally in the Premier League having struggled at Old Trafford in particular this season.
Under Moyes, they have lost six league games at home, been beaten inthe FA Cup by Swansea at Old Trafford and were unable to prevent Sunderland defeating them in the Capital One Cup semi-finals.
In March, some supporters chartered a plane to fly overhead during their Premier League game against Aston Villa trailing a banner with the words “Wrong One – Moyes Out”, a reference to the banner at Old Trafford that proclaimed Moyes to be the “Chosen One”.
(BBC)
