Jose Mourinho sacked after poor start to the season

Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United following their poor run of form to the season.

The Red Devils have won just two of their last eight matches in all competitions and sit 11 points off fourth place in the Premier League.

The Red Devils currently sit sixth in the Premier League table but have already lost five times in 17 matches, leaving them 19 points behind Liverpool and 11 off fourth-placed Chelsea in the fight for Champions League slots.

That follows a summer transfer window in which Jose Mourinho routinely complained about a lack of signings, with the Portuguese unable to persuade the club's hierarchy to sign a new centre-back. 

Mourinho continued to drop clues he remains unhappy at that failure to spend big, and he now leaves after two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, with his final match in charge on Sunday's 3-1 defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool. 

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

"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."

Mourinho succeeded Louis van Gaal in the Red Devils’ hotseat in the summer of 2016 and was tasked with leading the 20-time English champions back to the top of the domestic game after a barren three seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson's reign. 

He started on a bright note, winning the Community Shield in his first match in charge before claiming the League Cup thanks to a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired 3-2 win over Southampton. 

Form in the league was poor, however, with the Red Devils only able to finish in sixth place, though their season did end on a high note as a 2-0 victory over Ajax in the final of the Europa League saw them qualify for the 2017-18 Champions League. 

Mourinho's second season in charge saw United finish a distant second in the Premier League race to Pep Guardiola's record-breaking Manchester City, and while they crashed out of the Champions League to Sevilla in the last 16 and lost the FA Cup final to Chelsea, there was hope the former Chelsea boss would be able to kick on again having put pen to paper for a new improved contract early weeks of 2018. 

That has not come to pass, however, with United currently on a run of just two wins from eight games in all competitions.

Further to performances on the pitch, reports of dressing room unrest have overshadowed Manchester United’s performances over the course of the season, with Mourinho's relationship with club-record signing Paul Pogba a constant talking point in the game. 

World Cup winner Paul Pogba has struggled for consistency under Mourinho leadership, and this season things have taken a turn for the worse, with the former Juventus man unable to hold down a regular starting berth in Mourinho's preferred 11.

The nadir came at Anfield on Sunday, with Mourinho deciding to put Pogba on the bench despite his side needing to find a goal to get back into the game after Shaqiri's own match-winning performance off the bench for Klopp's side.

Whomever takes temporary charge will now be tasked with pushing United back into the race to finish in the top four while also plotting a path towards silverware in both the Champions League, where they play Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and the FA Cup, with Reading their third-round opponents.

Reports suggest that assistant coach Michael Carrick is not in the frame to take on that role, with the interim manager's first game on Saturday away at Cardiff City, with an external candidate expected to be announced within 48 hours.

Come summer, Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino are among the favourites to take the role full-time.