Manchester United’s board has decided to sack the first team manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, following an emergency meeting on Saturday night.
The meeting was called after the 4-1 defeat to Watford on Saturday.
According to The Times of London, the club’s owners believe the Norwegian and his coaching team have made a side ‘less than the sum of its parts’.
“An emergency virtual board meeting was called by the Glazer family during the second half of the match and within the talks, which started at about 7pm tonight, the group managing director, Richard Arnold, was instructed to negotiate the precise terms of Solskajer’s departure with the Norwegian.
“It is believed that it would cost United about £7.5 million in severance pay to end his three-year tenure”
Solskjaer signed a new contract in August but his deal is understood to include a one-season compensation payment should he be sacked, reports The Times.
Darren Fletcher, the club’s technical director, is poised to take temporary charge, Manchester Evening News reported.
It’s understood that the Glazer family have now instructed United’s hierarchy to step up their pursuit of Zinedine Zidane as the former Real Madrid boss is their first-choice candidate to replace Solskjaer.
United delivered one of the worst first-half performances of Solskjaer’s tenure at Vicarage Road as they were two goals down by the break.
Donny van de Beek scored to give United a lifeline but Harry Maguire’s red card ended hopes of a comeback as Claudio Ranieri’s side went on to score twice more in injury time.
