Manchester United’s board decided to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjær at an emergency meeting on Saturday night, following a 4-1 defeat at Watford. Co-chairman Joel Glazer has agreed to approve the move, with the announcement expected to describe the departure as a mutual agreement rather than a sacking.
Solskjær admitted after the match that his team were “outfought” and had let the fans down, but expressed belief he could turn things around. However, the board concluded there was no way back after the latest loss, which was the fourth in five Premier League games. Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are understood to be ready to take interim charge.
The defeat at Vicarage Road brought the number of goals conceded by United in their last five league games to 15. David de Gea described the performance as “embarrassing”, while some United fans booed Solskjær and remonstrated with Bruno Fernandes at full time.
United responded to a previous 5-0 humiliation by Liverpool with a 3-0 win at Tottenham, but have since struggled, including a late draw at Atalanta and comprehensive defeats to Manchester City and Watford. The club sits seventh in the table, six points off the Champions League places.
Solskjær, who was given a contract extension to 2024 after last season’s second-place finish, said the first half was “the worst we’ve played” and that the players were in a “terrible place”. The board’s decision came after they had previously backed him following the Liverpool defeat.
