Paul Bishop: What has Michel Carrick accomplished in coaching that gives him the right to step up? He's part of the problem, not the solution.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

For some, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's exit has been a long time coming. They were never convinced the Norwegian was up to the job in the first place and have been waiting for him to fail since his appointment was made permanent in March 2019.

That judgement is harsh.

Solskjaer restored pride to a club that had turned in on itself during the last days of the Jose Mourinho era. Without question, he acted and took decisions for the benefit of Manchester United, a club seared into his heart.

Now though, United are on the search for post-Ferguson manager number five.

And after what has gone before, there can be no real confidence they will get it right this time.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Whatever the criticisms, no-one could ever accuse Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of not making decisions he thought were the best for Manchester United.

A thoroughly decent man.

Zubair Khan: Remembering Gary Neville's words that something is fundamentally wrong at this football club and needs restructuring, not just at manager/staff or player's level but at the top as well. Ole will always be a club legend but same as Jose's time, the players let their manager and club down.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Reuters

Manchester United took the bold decision not to axe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City on 6 November because they felt the Norwegian had earned the right to turn the situation round given his contribution during his three years at Old Trafford.

For a start, United officials felt Solskjaer had affected the ‘cultural reboot’ demanded of him when Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018.

He had also reshaped the squad, replacing the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez with younger attacking players and, until the middle of September, had maintained a steady improvement.

They are small achievements for a club of United’s size but successive top-three finishes for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, was viewed as a positive, as were the four semi-final appearance and a Europa League final.

The brutal truth is none of this turned into tangible silverware, which might have provided a buffer over the past 10 weeks.

Steve Dixon Moss: Chelsea have appealed Harry Maguire's red card. They want him to play against them next week.

Manchester United's next three games:

Tuesday: Away v Villarreal - Champions League

Sunday, 28 Nov: Away v Chelsea - Premier League

Thursday, 2 Dec: Home v Arsenal - Premier League

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer becomes the sixth Premier League managerial casualty of the season, a high number that has been attributed in part to the fact that full crowds have returned to games for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The suggestion is that struggling managers are more vulnerable to the sack with big crowds calling for them to go than they were when games were being played in empty - or partly empty - stadiums.

There were only four Premier League managerial exits in the whole of last season, and only Slaven Bilic, at West Brom, lost his job before Christmas.

But this season, Xisco Munoz at Watford, Steve Bruce at Newcastle, Nuno Espirito Santo at Tottenham, Daniel Farke at Norwich, and Dean Smith at Aston Villa have all left their clubs.

Craig: Let's get Erik ten Hag in. Better tactical manager who would suit the fan's preferred choice of formation & playing style. Let's get shot of those contract rebels in January & start afresh. This season was over before it even started. Top 10 finish at best.

Stuart Mitchell: If I could pick anyone I'd go for Erik ten Hag at Ajax. But I can't see him leaving mid season.

BBC Radio 5 Live

It's a busy day in Manchester.

Don't forget we have Manchester City v Everton coming up at 14:00 GMT followed by Tottenham v Leeds at 16:30.

Badamasi: As an honest United fan, I think this is a terrible decision. Remember how long it took for Sir Alex to win trophies? Ole just needed another few years in charge and he would’ve done it! Shame on you United fans who wanted him sacked! You’re not real fans in my book.

Image source, Getty Images

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's exit has resulted in a wave of bets for Zinedine Zidane.

The former Real Madrid boss has been cut into short price favourite to replace Solskjaer at Manchester United.

He currently sits at the best price of 21/10, with money continuing to come for the Champions League-winning manager and player.

The French coach, who won three successive Champions League trophies with Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018 is also the favourite among punters.

In the last 12 hours, Zidane has taken 45.5% of bets through oddschecker.

MC: Replacing Solskjaer with Brendan Rodgers would be such a terrible decision which could set us back another 3-4 years.

So who next for the United?

Brendan Rodgers? Zinedine Zidane? Mauricio Pochettino?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer achieved a win percentage of 54.2%, behind Jose Mourinho's 58.3% in 144 matches but ahead of David Moyes (52.9%), Louis van Gaal (52.4%) and fellow ex-player Ryan Giggs - who won two of the four games he oversaw as interim coach.

However, appointed to better reflect the philosophy of the club - including an attacking tradition - United did manage to score 64 more goals under Solskjaer than they did with Mourinho in charge - in just 14 extra games.

Jordan: I love Man Utd but putting Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick in as temp managers to play Villarreal just ain’t it. Can we not play them in midfield just behind Bruno instead?

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Some thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fortunate to survive during the recent international break, before which Manchester United suffered a record 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool and were beaten in a far more comprehensive way by Manchester City than the eventual 2-0 result suggests.

The club’s hierarchy stuck with Solskjaer, believing the Norwegian could turn the situation around.

However, both the defeat at Watford and the manner of the performance, which included a red card for skipper Harry Maguire, were worse than anyone could have anticipated.

And, with their Champions League place at stake if they fail to get at least a draw against Villarreal, United’s senior figures were not prepared to risk a defeat by Unai Emery’s team, who were by far the better side at Old Trafford in September, only for United to beat them thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-minute winner.