Louis van Gaal has been sacked as manager of Manchester United, with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho set to be named as his replacement.
The Dutchman leaves after completing two years of a three-year contract.
BBC Sport reported on Saturday that United’s FA Cup win over Crystal Palace would be his last game in charge.
Van Gaal, 64, took control of United after leading the Netherlands to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The Old Trafford club finished fourth in the Premier League in his first season in charge to qualify for the Champions League.
But they finished fifth this term and will play in the Europa League next season.
They only scored 49 league goals, too, their lowest total since 1989-90.
Saturday’s FA Cup success at Wembley gave United a first trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson delivered the Premier League title in 2013 in his last season before retirement, but it was not enough to stop Van Gaal from losing his job.
Mourinho, 53, was sacked by Chelsea last December, just seven months after leading the London club to the Premier League title.
Van Gaal arrived at Old Trafford with his reputation enhanced after steering the Netherlands to the 2014 World Cup semi-finals.
The experience he gained while managing Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich also suggested he had the necessary clout and ego to succeed at United, in contrast to predecessor Moyes, who had been in charge at Preston and Everton before taking over when Ferguson retired.
After a solid first season, Van Gaal was expected to turn United into title contenders, especially after taking the club’s outlay on players to more than £250m since the summer of 2014.
His record in the transfer market has been hit and miss. Angel di Maria – a British record signing at £59.7m – faded after a fast start and was sold, while Radamel Falcao delivered little after his loan move from Monaco.
The summer of 2015 has hardly proved a success either, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, who reportedly cost United a combined total of around £40m, failing to add dynamism to midfield.
This campaign has also been undermined by injuries, with Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Marcus Rojo, Schweinsteiger, Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Phil Jones and Ashley Young all missing significant parts of the season.
A number of significant former United players have taken issue with the style of play under Van Gaal, claiming his tactics are negative and players are afraid to express themselves.
“Manchester United are going backwards again and I don’t see that changing because the manager will not change [his tactics],” said Rio Ferdinand, the England defender signed for a then British record £30m in 2002.
Steve Coppell, who starred for United in the 1970s and 80s, said it was hard to understand Van Gaal’s philosophy, claiming “players sometimes do not really understand what he’s trying to get through to them”.
Former midfielder Paul Scholes – a member of the club’s legendary ‘Class of ’92’ – was one of the Dutchman’s harshest critics.
“It seems he doesn’t want players to beat men and score goals,” he said. “It’s not a team I would have enjoyed playing in. “There’s no spirit, there’s nobody having a go at each other, there’s no smiling, there’s no entertainment.”
