Manchester United expected to name Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager

The Norwegian coach is currently in charge of Molde

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has emerged as the prime candidate to temporarily replace Jose Mourinho at Manchester United and is expected to take caretaker charge at Old Trafford until the end of the season. Solskjaer, who is currently manager of Molde and has previously managed in the Premier League with Cardiff City, spent 11 years as a player at Old Trafford, scoring 91 goals in 235 games under Sir Alex Ferguson. He remains a cult figure at the club due to his propensity to score important goals as a substitute, most notably in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final, in which he scored a late winner to hand United their first European Cup win in more than 30 years. He is expected to be aided by Ferguson's former assistant Mike Phelan as United seek to install figures who are close to the club's history and understand its identity in the wake of Jose Mourinho's sacking. Mourinho lost his job early on Tuesday, just two days after his side were easily defeated 3-1 by league leaders Liverpool, a result which left them 19 points behind their rivals. Early contenders to take over from him on a temporary basis were former United defender Laurent Blanc and ex-Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane, though it appears that Solskjaer is seen as the preferable and most realistic option out of all the candidates.