Mourinho sacked - as it happened: Manchester United manager leaves club with immediate effect

Latest news, updates and reaction after Mourinho leaves United with immediate effect

Jose Mourinho faces the press after Manchester United lose to Liverpool

Jose Mourinho left Manchester United with immediate effect on Tuesday morning.

The Portuguese leaves with United sixth in the table with the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday proving his final game in charge.

A club statement read: "Manchester United announces that manager Jose Mourinho has left the club with immediate effect. 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."

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Key Points

• Jose Mourinho has left Manchester United with immediate effect
• The Portuguese leaves with United seventh with just seven wins all season
• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Laurent Blanc in frame to be interim boss
• Mauricio Pochettino refuses to answer questions over United job
• The inside story of Mourinho's sacking

[18 December 2018 11:10 · Ben Burrows]

It is understood that the club will place Carrick in temporary charge but only for the next 48 hours, when an external candidate will be brought in to see out the season. 

That unusual strategy was broken to Gary Neville, a Manchester United legend, live on air on Sky Sports and he reacted with surprise as the details unfolded.

[18 December 2018 11:20 · Ben Burrows]

Here are Ed Malyon's thoughts:

Credit to Manchester United for making the right decision here, the institutional corrosion Mourinho was at the centre of was only going cause more damage as time goes on.

However, their next step must be to hire a sporting director. That trumps all the talk of who is going to be the next coach because this is a club in desperate need of a footballing direction, not just swaying from manager to contrasting manager. Ed Woodward has to go out and get his man, let that sporting director make an appointment that can take the club forward and only then is there a chance of progress.

Mauricio Pochettino, for me, is the best managerial candidate but the real hire they need to make is Pochettino's would-be boss.

[18 December 2018 11:30 · Ben Burrows]

Could Ole make an emotional return to Old Trafford?

[18 December 2018 11:37 · Ben Burrows]

From Mourinho to who comes next.

The Independent understands that United will announce the caretaker manager by Thursday afternoon. 

The new candidate will be in charge until the summer when the board will reassess.

[18 December 2018 11:50 · Ben Burrows]

It's over for Jose and, as Jack Pitt-Brooke notes, it's not a moment too soon

[18 December 2018 12:01 · Ben Burrows]

There's a new name in the frame...

The Manchester United hierarchy are considering Laurent Blanc as a potential stand-in until the end of the season, after the decision to sack Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning.

Old Trafford officials now want a figure who knows the club well following the Portuguese's dismissal and the French World Cup winner's playing history there from 2001 to 2003 under Sir Alex Ferguson is seen as appealing, with United having previously considered him for the manager's role.

The club ultimately made the decision to sack Mourinho after the nature of the 3-1 defeat by Liverpool, with the performance and manager's attitude afterwards seen as a "final straw".

Here's Miguel Delaney with the latest:

[18 December 2018 12:14 · Ben Burrows]

Jose Mourinho’s last press conference as Manchester United manager came after a comprehensive 3-1 defeat against long-time rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

As he spoke to the media, Mourinho had to explain why Liverpool were so much better than his side, with United completely overrun during the first 30 minutes of the Anfield encounter.

Explaining the differences between his United side and that at the disposal of Jurgen Klopp, Mourinho compared the physicality and intensity of Liverpool’s best players compared to his own.

Going a step further, he labelled certain players within his squad “injury-prone” having had to deal with a constant stream of defensive issues that has prevented him from sticking with a consistent line-up.

Here is Mourinho’s final press conference in full.

[18 December 2018 12:28 · Ben Burrows]

Gary Neville has responded to Paul Pogba’s deleted Instagram post in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United sacking by telling the Frenchman to “do one”.

Pogba was quick to take to Instagram in the wake of Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday morning.

The France international shared a photograph of himself smirking at the camera along with the tagline: “caption this”.

Pogba was quick to delete the photograph but not before it had garnered a huge reaction across social media.

And Neville did not take long to voice his opinion. “Caption this,” he tweeted. “You do one as well”.

[18 December 2018 12:42 · Ben Burrows]

So who next for United?

There won't be a shortage of candidates:

[18 December 2018 12:48 · Ben Burrows]

Here's the first image of Mourinho leaving United.

He was informed of his sacking at Carrington earlier this morning and left shortly after.