Manchester United have parted company with manager David Moyes after an horrific 10 months in charge. 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.
In a short statement on Tuesday, the club said Moyes had departed, adding it “would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role”.
Moyes’s tenure is dwarfed by the 26 years of his predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson, but how does his record compare with other Manchester United managers?
Moyes, 50, was chosen by Ferguson to succeed him when he retired after 26 years in charge last summer.
Under Moyes, United lost six league games at home, were beaten in the 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”.
The Red Devils will miss out on Champions League football for the first time since 1995 and are in danger of missing out on European competition altogether for the first time since 1990.
United reached the last eight of the Champions League before being knocked out by Bayern Munich and Moyes argued that their best displays had been in the competition.
But the Scot has been dogged by claims he has fallen out with members of his squad.
When midfielder Anderson joined Serie A side Fiorentina on loan in January, he was quoted as saying that other United players “wanted out” although he later denied it.
Rio Ferdinand and Robin van Persie also made less than complimentary comments about his management style, while Javier Hernandez and Wilfried Zaha posted cryptic quotes on Twitter.
At the weekend, Manchester-born striker Danny Welbeck was reported to be considering his future after becoming frustrated at regularly being played out of his favoured position.
Moyes left Everton after 11 seasons saying he could not turn down the opportunity to move to Old Trafford and began his job on 1 July. However, United endured a difficult summer transfer window and failed in reported bids for Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara and Cesc Fabregas.
A double bid for Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines was dismissed as “derisory and insulting” by Moyes’s old club Everton, although Fellaini finally joined on transfer deadline day for £27.5m.
Moyes was unhappy United were given a difficult start to the season, playing Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in their first five games. “I find it hard to believe that’s the way the balls came out of the bag, that’s for sure,” he said.
Former Manchester United and England striker Michael Owen said on Twitter: “Huge news at Old Trafford but with the summer looming and a huge transfer kitty available United had to be 100% Moyes was the right man.
“Evidently they didn’t have the confidence in him in which case makes the timing absolutely right. Now the big question is who’s next?”
Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal, Borussia Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp, Atletico Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone and Paris St-Germain’s Laurent Blanc have 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.”
Reports suggest United will make discreet moves to see if Pep Guardiola can be persuaded to leave Bayern Munich.
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 shares, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange, were up more than 6.5 percent at $18.80 at 1830 BST, signalling investor relief at the decision to sack Moyes.
But his reign began in style with a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield at Wembley, followed by a 4-1 win away at Swansea City in the first league game of the season.
However, things quickly got worse with defeats at Anfield and Etihad Stadium, setting the tone for what would become United’s worst Premier League season.
