Manchester United have confirmed manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left the club.

The announcement came after their 4-1 loss against Watford on Saturday. Rumours began circulating shortly after the defeat that the Norwegian's position was deemed untenable and that the United board had called an emergency meeting.

"Manchester United announces that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager.

"Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision." read the official statement.

The defeat left United in 7th position in the table, with only a single victory in their previous 5 games. They could move further down depending on Everton and Tottenham's results. 

United also confirmed that Michael Carrick would take charge of the team until the club finds an interim manager. 

The news of Solskjaer's departure comes as no surprise to the United faithful or the wider footballing world, with many believing the writing was on the wall since the humbling at Liverpool’s hands a few weeks ago. 

United now face the task of finding a suitable replacement for the Norwegian, from an increasingly narrow set of options. Former Real Madrid man Zidane and current PSG boss Pochettino seem to be the favourites with Ajax manager Erik ten Hag's name also being considered according to reports.