Manchester United have finally lost patience with David Moyes and sacked the Scot, the club have confirmed.
Rumours first surfaced on Monday that Moyes was set to lose his job, with club sources telling ESPN his sacking was “imminent”.
However United finally announced Moyes’ departure on their official Twitter account on Tuesday morning:
[full]In an ironic twist, United’s 2-0 defeat to Everton – on Moyes’ first return to Goodison Park since leaving for Old Trafford last summer – proved to be the final straw after what has been a dismal campaign for the club.
Sir Alex Ferguson hand-picked Moyes to be his successor at Old Trafford following 27 years in charge at Old Trafford, but Moyes has lasted just 348 days.
Moyes signed a six-year deal at United, but despite completing less than 12 months of it will only be paid one year of severance pay, according to reports.
Ryan Giggs is reportedly set to step into the breach until the end of the season with Louis van Gaal keen to take charge and Jurgen Klopp among the front runners to succeed Moyes on a permanent basis.
The reigning Premier League champions have slumped to seventh in the table this season, and will finish the campaign with their lowest ever Premier League points total.
The defeat to Everton was their 11th in the league this campaign, and United will miss out on Champions League football next season for the first time since 1995-96.
Despite Moyes continuing to stress he had the long-term support of the club following Sunday’s match, United’s owners, the Glazer family, finally decided to end his reign.
Last week Moyes spoke of being “well into” his transfer plans for the summer, and said he hoped to sign several targets before the start of the World Cup on June 12.
Southampton left-back Luke Shaw had reportedly been lined up in a £30 million deal, with Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho also said to have been one of Moyes’ top targets.
Following the match at Everton, Moyes said: “They [the supporters] realise it has been a difficult season. They understand it has not been good, I recognise it has not been good, it needs to be better
“Everybody knows that we are on track to make changes and do some different things. We are rebuilding, we have got things we want to do.”[/full]
Club sources told ESPN last week that the Glazers were demanding Moyes secure a Europa League finish, but even that could be out of reach for United now with the club six points behind sixth-placed Tottenham with four games remaining.
Moyes’ reign lurched from one disaster to another this season. United have lost to Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton home and away, with Ferguson even coming under fire from supporters near the directors’ box during the 3-0 home defeat to Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
A plane displaying the words “Moyes out – the wrong one” was flown over Old Trafford during United’s next home game against Aston Villa, in response to the ‘Chosen One’ banner that adorns a section of the Stretford End in reference to Moyes’ status as Ferguson’s choice to succeed him.
Moyes took only six points from the other clubs in the Premier League’s top seven this season, with one victory against Arsenal at home.
United also suffered humiliating defeats at Old Trafford to West Brom and Newcastle, and went down 2-0 in their Champions League last-16 first leg in Olympiakos before Robin van Persie’s hat-trick in the second leg sent them through to the quarter-finals.
United were also knocked out of the League Cup in the semi-finals by Sunderland, and suffered a third-round FA Cup exit at home to Swansea.
