Manchester United announce exit of manager Jose Mourinho

Manchester United have announced that Jose Mourinho has left Old Trafford with immediate effect.

The North-West giants have endured a disappointing period in the Premier League, with the club currently sitting 11 points adrift of a top-four place in the table.

The performances and results under Mourinho had resulted in frequent speculation regarding the Portuguese's future, while the 55-year-old's working relationship with club-record signing Paul Pogba was a regular topic for debate.

Reports had suggested that Mourinho would be given the Christmas period to put together an improved run of results, but United announced on Tuesday morning that Mourinho had left the club.

A club 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 began his period at United in May 2016, and after bringing in the likes of Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mourinho went on to win the EFL Cup and Europa League in his first season.

United also finished in second place to runaway champions Manchester City during the last campaign, but further progress on the pitch has not followed and it has resulted in Mourinho leaving the eighth club of his managerial career.