Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui and former Man Utd defender Laurent Blanc have emerged as surprise candidates to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford.
Following an emergency board meeting last night, the Red Devils hierarchy have decided to sack Solskjaer with the club officially announcing his departure on Sunday.
Joel Glazer has signed it off and now Man Utd are in the process of looking for a new manager with Michael Carrick confirmed as caretaker manager until they find an interim boss to take charge until the end of the season.
An emergency Solskjaer sacking Mailbox, ft. ‘joke’ Maguire
Solskjaer was already under huge pressure going into their match against Watford on Saturday but the manner of their 4-1 defeat at Vicarage Road was the final straw for many in the club’s board.
That result means that Man Utd have now lost five of their of their last seven Premier League matches, while they have only won three of their last 11 fixtures in all competitions.
And now The Athletic claim that ‘reports suggesting’ Zinedine Zidane ‘is in line to imminently replace Solskjaer are wide of the mark’.
Instead The Athletic mention Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers as the ‘expensive option’ while Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino ‘is going nowhere’.
Former Real Madrid boss Lopetegui is ‘another potential option’ while Blanc – who is currently in charge of Qatari-based Al-Rayyan – would be a ‘possibility’ as an interim manager.
Meanwhile, Man Utd keeper David De Gea gave a damning verdict on their display at Watford, telling the BBC: “We don’t know what to do with the ball. We don’t know how to defend properly.
“It was embarrassing, the way we played. The first half was very poor – it’s not acceptable for this club and the level of players that we have.
“It’s another nightmare. There’s been some difficulties but I don’t really know what to say.”
And Solskjaer apologised to the fans for having to witness their poor performance, he said: “I feel for the fans and I feel the same as them – we’re embarrassed by losing the way we do.
“We know we are in a very bad run and a bad situation, but that’s football and I know they’ll support whoever is on the pitch every day, and sometimes you’ve got to say sorry.”
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